Relationship Between Gestational Weight Gain and Health Service Utilization in Early Childhood: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objective: Gestational weight gain (GWG) outside recommended ranges can negatively impact both the woman and child. The long-term effects of below-recommended or above-recommended GWG on the child are unclear. Methods: This retrospective cohort study used a population-based birth registry of 258,005 live births to evaluate the relationship between maternal GWG and paediatric health service use. Results: The results suggest below recommended GWG in underweight women in particular is associated with an increased rate of hospitalizations and specialist visits for the child in the first 24 months. Conclusion: Findings indicate that GWG may impact paediatric outcomes in ways that depend on pre-pregnancy body mass index, as derived from maternal height and weight measures. Significance: The findings of this study are significant as they expand previously published research and suggest that gestational weight gain below recommended levels in underweight women contributes to pediatric health service utilization as the child grows. These findings have important implications and should influence prenatal counselling on gestational weight gain in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]