Study finds strong link between pre-pregnancy obesity and infant deaths

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-01/bumc-sfs012016.php

Public Release: 20-Jan-2016
Study finds strong link between pre-pregnancy obesity and infant deaths
Boston University Medical Center

Pre-pregnancy obesity is strongly associated with infant mortality, and compliance with weight-gain guidelines during pregnancy has a limited impact on that mortality risk, a new study led by Boston University School of Public Health researchers shows.

The study, published online in Obstetrics and Gynecology, is the largest study to date of the relationship between pre-pregnancy obesity, prenatal weight gain and infant mortality. It used birth and death records of more than 6 million newborns in 38 states from 2012-2013, which included information on the mother's height and pre-pregnancy weight, needed to compute BMI (body-mass index). The authors examined overall infant mortality in three major categories: infants who died from preterm-related causes, congenital anomalies and sudden unexpected infant death.

The study found that infant mortality rates from preterm causes increased at higher BMIs, with rates twice as high for obese women (i.e., 175 lbs. + for a woman 5'4" tall) than for normal-weight women (110-144 lbs. at 5'4"). Deaths from congenital anomalies and sudden infant death also were higher among babies born to obese mothers. Mortality rates rose consistently across obesity categories.

Compared to babies born to women with normal pre-pregnancy weights, the risk of infant death was 32 percent higher for mothers in the obese I category, and 73 percent higher for those in the obese III category, even after controlling for demographic and medical risk factors.

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