Return to military weight standards after pregnancy in active duty working women: comparison of marine corps vs. navy

Abstract

Objective: To compare the likelihood of being within weight standards before and after pregnancy between United States Marine Corps (USMC) and Navy (USN) active duty women (ADW). Methods: ADW with singleton gestations who delivered at a USMC base were followed for 6 months to determine likelihood of returning to military weight standards. Odds ratio (OR), adjusted odds ratio (AOR) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated; p < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Similar proportions of USN and USMC ADW were within body weight standards one year prior to pregnancy (79%, 97%) and at first prenatal visit (69%, 96%), respectively. However, USMC ADW were significantly more likely to be within body weight standards at 3 months (AOR 4.30,1.28–14.43) and 6 months after delivery (AOR 9.94, 1.53–64.52) than USN ADW. Weight gained during pregnancy did not differ significantly for the two groups (40.4 lbs vs 44.2 lbs, p = 0.163). The likelihood of spontaneous vaginal delivery was significantly higher (OR 2.52, 1.20–5.27) and the mean birth weight was significantly lower (p = 0.0036) among USMC ADW as compared to USN ADW. Conclusions: Being within weight standards differs significantly for USMC and USN ADW after pregnancy.

Keywords::

• Antepartum weight gain
• body mass index
• postpartum weight retention

Acknowledgements

LCDR Greer, LCDR Choi and CDR Zelig are military service members. This work was prepared as part of their official duties. Title 17, USC, 105 provides that ‘Copyright protection under this title is not available for any work of the United States Government.’ Title 17, USC, 101 defines a U.S. Government work as a work prepared by a military service member or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Navy, Department of Defense, nor the U.S. Government.

The views expressed in this study are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the US Navy, US Marine Corps, or the Department of Defense.

The authors would like to thank Lily Arya, MD, for her editorial assistance.

Declaration of Interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest.