Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Gaining excessive weight during pregnancy is associated with immediate maternal and fetal complications as well as longer term obesity. Prepregnancy body mass index, age, and smoking cessation have been related to gestational weight gain (GWG); however, less is known about how eating behaviors, that may be amenable to modification and have been related to weight gain outside of pregnancy, affect GWG. METHODS: The present study evaluated the relationship of dietary restraint and disinhibition to GWG in a sample of women (n=248) who quit smoking before or early in pregnancy. Women self-reported height and prepregnancy weight during their third trimester. GWG was calculated by subtracting prepregnancy weight from third trimester weight. The Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire assessed restraint and disinhibition. RESULTS: Average GWG was 14.60 (±7.64) kg and 47% of women had a GWG greater than the Institute of Medicine recommendations. Linear regression models were used to examine restraint and disinhibition as correlates of GWG, and multinomial logistic regressions were utilized to determine whether eating behaviors were associated with inadequate or excessive GWG. Restraint was associated positively with total GWG, but disinhibition was not associated with GWG. Thus, conscious attempts to restrict intake were associated with GWG beyond the influence of covariates. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight the potential influence of modifiable eating behaviors on GWG and demonstrate the need for additional research to determine how these behaviors relate to GWG over the course of pregnancy.