Weight retention 12 months postpartum: association with sociodemographic, gestational and puerperal factors

Abstract Objectives: to investigate the association between sociodemographic, gestational/puerperal factors and postpartum weight retention (PPWR) after 12 months in Brazilian women at a university hospital. Methods: prospective cohort with puerperal women recruited at the maternity ward of a university hospital in a Brazilian metropolis. At baseline (n=260), sociodemographic and anthropometric information on the mother-child binomial and data related to the gestational period were collected. Maternal dietary patterns were measured using a food frequency questionnaire and subsequently determined by Principal Component Analysis. Results: 75 women, with a mean age of 28.4 years (CI95%= 27.0-29.7), 25.3% with excessive PPPR, with an average of 3.6 kg (CI95%= 1.7) continued in the follow-up. -5.4). Higher gestational weight gain (GWG) (ß= 0.36; CI95%= 0.18-0.70) and lower maternal age (ß= -0.41; CI95%= -0.92–-0.22) were PRPP predictors (p=0.001) (adjusted for per capita income, parity, type of delivery, number of prenatal visits, baby’s birth weight, breastfeeding and physical activity). Conclusion: there was a high occurrence of excessive PPPR, favored by higher GPG and lower maternal age. This highlights the importance of monitoring women’s health during the reproductive period, with guidance on ways of life (diet and physical activity), to favor better outcomes for mother-child.