Maternal weight, weight gain and birthweight at term in the rural Tanzanian village of IIula

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Abstract
Summary. In an area‐based study in a rural Tanzanian village, the relations of maternal weight and weight gain during pregnancy to birthweight were analysed for 331 term deliveries. The distribution of body‐mass index, used as an indicator of maternal nutritional status, was similar to the pattern seen in Sweden, although mean maternal height (156 cm) was 9 cm below that of Swedish women. Mean initial weight measured at week 14 was 53 kg and total pregnancy weight gain was 6kg. Women weighing ≥60kg in early pregnancy gained less weight (0·16 kg/week) than those weighing <50 kg (0·22 kg/week). Birthweight was correlated both with maternal weight in early pregnancy and with weight gain during pregnancy, but only 10% of the variation in birthweight was explained by these maternal factors. Mean maternal weight 24 h postpartum was equal to the weight at 14 weeks of pregnancy, implying, on the average, no net weight gain. Women with a positive net weight gain had heavier babies than women with a negative net weight gain. Maternal anthropometric characteristics are important underlying determinants of intrauterine growth and birthweight, but they explain only a minor part of the variation and are of little value for screening purposes in individual women.