OBJECTIVE: to investigate factors associated with post-partum weight retention. METHODS: a cohort study with 104 recruited pregnant women in the 8th to 13th week of gestation was carried out at Basic Health Unit in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro and the women were accompanied until around 55 days post-partum. The variables included socio-demographic, economic, biochemical, anthropometric and reproductive data. Post-partum weight retention (the difference between postpartum andpre-gestational weight) was used as the dependent variable. RESULTS: the mean weight retention was 3.2 kg ± 3.7 kg. Women with excessive gestational weight gain retained 5.0 kg ± 3.9 in comparison to 3.6 kg ± 3.0 in women with adequate gestational weight gain and 1.4 kg ± 3.1 compared to those with inadequate gestational weight gain. The gestational weight gain and pre-gestational body mass index continued to show a significant association with weight retention in the final model. It was found that for every kilogram of weight gain during gestation, almost 50% was retained post-partum (β = 0.494; p<0.001) and every 1.0 kg/m² less in pre-gestational BMI corresponded to a retention of approximately 150g (β = -0.149; p<0.05). CONCLUSION: gestational weight gain is positively associated with post-partum weight retention, while pre-gestational BMI is inversely associated with the dependent variable. Nutritional advice on weight control may help minimize the incidence of obesity in women during post-partum.
Weight gain; Pregnancy; Prospective studies; Body mass index
