A systematic approach for establishing the range of recommended weight gain in pregnancy.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Current approaches for establishing public health guidelines on the recommended range of weight gain in pregnancy are subjective and nonsystematic.

Objective

In this article, we outline how decision-making on gestational weight-gain guidelines could be aided by quantitative approaches used in noninferiority trials.

Design

We reviewed the theoretical application of noninferiority margins to pregnancy weight-gain guidelines. A worked example illustrated the selection of the recommended range of pregnancy weight gain in women who delivered at the Magee-Womens Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA, in 2003-2010 by identifying weight-gain z scores in which risk of unplanned cesarean delivery, preterm birth, small-for-gestational-age infant, and large-for-gestational-age infa

SUBMITTER: Hutcheon JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4095666 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature