Prepregnancy Body Mass Index shift across gestation: primary evidence of an association with eating disorders

Abstract

Objective: Previous studies indicated that gestational weight gain-related disorders share many similarities with feeding and eating disorders (EDs).

Design: To examine the association of prepregnancy Body Mass Index (BMI), defined according to 2009 Institute of Medicine (IOM), and its shift across gestation with symptoms of feeding and EDs, defined by EDE-Q.

Setting: This prospective cohort study took place at the Division of Perinatal Medicine of Policlinico Abano Terme, Italy, from Jannuary 2015 to October 2015.

Population and sample: The sample included 655 healthy at term puerperae.

Main outcomes measures: We correlated gestational BMI in different women categories to EDE-Q Global score and Restrain, Eating concern, Shape concern, and Weight concern subscales, by Spearman’s correlation test.

Results: Among 655 women, 59 (9.0%) were categorized as underweight, 463 (70.7%) normal weight, 98 (15.0%) overweight, and 35 (5.3%) as obese in prepregnancy period. At the end of gestation, underweight women category disappeared, normal weight women lightened to one third, overweight women tripled, and obese women doubled. At the same time, EDE-Q global scores increased from normal weight (0.25 ± 0.41), to overweight (0.47 ± 0.58), and to obese (0.72 ± 0.70) puerperae. In addition, EDE-Q global scores were significantly correlated with gestational BMI increase in Global score (rho = 0.326; p < .001) and in the four subscales: Restrain (rho = 0.161; p < .001), Eating concern (rho = 0.193; p < .001), Shape concern (rho = 0.335; p < .001), and Weight concern (rho = 0.365; p < .001), respectively.

Conclusions: It was found that the shift of woman BMI across an uncomplicated pregnancy is a warning indicator of unhealthy eating and feeding symptoms.

Keywords:

• EDE-Q
• gestational BMI
• obesity
• overweight
• prepregnancy BMI
• underweight

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.