Prevalence of Abnormal Gestational Weight Gain and Its Determinants in Korea

Abstract

The negative effects of abnormal gestational weight gain on an infant’s immediate and future health are well documented. There have been, however, few studies on the determinants of gestational weight gain in Korea. The purposes of this study are to examines the prevalence of inadequate gestational weight gain, and to investigate demographic and socioeconomic factors associated with inadequate gestational weight gain in Korea. The results shows that that a majority (62.2 percent) of pregnant women in Korea fail in weight management. In particular, they are exposed to higher risks (43.0 percent) of insufficient weight gain. The results of multivaiable analysis indicates that young maternal age, first childbirth, and BMI at early pregnancy increase the risk of abnormal gestational weight gain. The findings of this study testify to the importance of pre-pregnancy health management.