ADOLESCENT PREGNANCY AND SUBSEQUENT OBESITY IN AFRICAN-AMERICAN GIRLS

Purpose: Obesity is a significant contemporary health problem among Af rican-American women. This study investigates whether excessive gestat ional weight gain during adolescent pregnancy is associated with subse quent obesity. Methods: Thirty previously pregnant African-American ad olescents on whom there were extensive extant anthropometric and psych osocial data were evaluated approximately 3.3 years following delivery . Results: Rapid gestational weight gain (> .40 kg/wk) was associated with a 19.9% increase in body mass index (BMI); average gestational we ight gain (.23 to .40 kg/wk) was associated with a 13.2% increase, and slow gestational weight gain (< .23 kg/wk) was associated with a 3.4% increase (difference between rapid and slow, p < 0.05). Adolescents w ho had high prepregnant BMIs were massively obese subsequently. Conclu sions: 1. Rapid gestational weight gain is associated with a significa ntly greater percent change in the BMI compared with the slow gestatio nal weight gain in adolescent pregnancy. 2. Adolescents who are obese prior to their first pregnancy often become even more obese on average 3.3 years following pregnancy. Such adolescents may be at particular risk of retaining gestational weight gain, and the consequences of the ir morbid obesity may be ultimately life-threatening.