Title: A WHO collaborative study of maternal anthropometry and pregnancy outcomes.

POPLINE Document Number: 125329

Author(s):

Kelly A
Kevany J
de Onis M
Shah PM

Source citation:

International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 1997 Apr;57(1):1-15.

Abstract:

To assess the degree to which maternal anthropometric measurements predict maternal and fetal outcomes, the World Health Organization (WHO) conducted a meta-analysis of 25 studies from 20 developed and developing countries covering more than 111,000 births. Effect size for each of 5 indicators was expressed as an odds ratio (OR) based on the frequency of the outcome occurring in the lowest quartile of the indicator distribution compared with that occurring in the highest quartile. Attained weight indicators from pre-pregnancy through 9 lunar months demonstrated high ORs for both low birth weight (LBW) and intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR); most LBW reported is due to IUGR rather than to preterm birth (PTB). The strongest effect size (OR, 4.0) was provided by attained weight at 24-28 weeks of gestation for IUGR when applied to women of below-average pre-pregnancy weight. This suggests that weights taken at pre- or early pregnancy and 5 or 7 lunar months are useful indicators of LBW and IUGR; their ability to predict PTB is limited, however. Neither maternal height nor arm circumference were effective indicators for any of the fetal outcomes analyzed. The ability of study indicators to predict the 3 maternal outcomes was weaker. Maternal height as a predictor of assisted delivery showed the highest positive OR (1.6), but did not meet the screening criteria. These findings suggest a single measurement of attained weight at 16-20 or 24-28 weeks is the most practical screening instrument for LBW and IUGR in most primary health care settings. At this stage of pregnancy, however, identification of IUGR may not allow sufficient time for fetal growth to be improved by food supplementation.

Keywords:

Global
Research Report
Anthropometry
Validity
Pregnancy Outcomes
Maternal Nutrition
Low Birth Weight
Women
Measurement
Research Methodology
Pregnancy
Reproduction
Nutrition
Health
Birth Weight
Body Weight
Physiology
Biology
Demographic Factors
Population