Do low-income women attain their pre-pregnant weight by the 6th week of postpartum?
OBJECTIVES: To assess the proportion of women attaining pre-pregnant weight, and to ascertain the predictors of amount of retained weight at 6 weeks postpartum, in a tri-ethnic sample of low-income women. DESIGN: Short-term longitudinal design from post-delivery to 6 weeks postpartum. PARTICIPANTS: 419 African-American, Hispanic, and White women receiving perinatal care funded by Medicaid. MAIN OUTCOME VARIABLES: Proportion of women attaining pre-pregnant weight at 6 weeks postpartum; the amount of weight retained at 6 weeks postpartum. RESULTS: Fifteen percent of women attained their pre-pregnant weight at 6 weeks postpartum. In multiple regression analysis, maternal weight gain during pregnancy was the predominant predictor (B=.88, SE=.02, P=.000). Hispanic ethnicity (B=.69, SE=.33, P=.039) and the interaction between maternal weight gain and gestational length (B=-.04, SE=.02, P=.032) made small, independent contributions to amount of retained weight at 6 weeks postpartum. The inter
