Both too little and too much weight gain during pregnancy are associated with serious maternal and child health outcomes, including preterm birth, low birth weight,\u00a0death, preeclampsia, and unplanned cesarean delivery.\u00a0Women in low- and middle-income countries\u00a0often face challenges such as food insecurity, poor diet, limited health care access, and inadequate micronutrient supplements, all of which\u00a0contribute to\u00a0unhealthy\u00a0weight during pregnancy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A\u00a0review\u00a0of\u00a0pregnancy\u00a0health promotion\u00a0programs\u00a0in low- and middle-income countries,\u00a0led by\u00a0Priscilla Aba Aggrey,\u00a0found that\u00a0nutrition, education, and physical activity interventions delivered early in pregnancy\u00a0can help\u00a0women achieve\u00a0optimal\u00a0gestational weight gain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Interventions delivered during pregnancy, especially when started early and tailored to local contexts, can reduce both inadequate and excessive gestational weight gain. The most effective approach depends\u00a0on the type of intervention and the woman’s nutritional or weight status,\u00a0which\u00a0highlights\u00a0the need for personalized interventions.”<\/p>\n
Priscilla Aba Aggrey,\u00a0a\u00a0PhD\u00a0in public health, Department of Global and Community Health<\/p>\n
The interventions reviewed included pharmacological therapies,\u00a0nutritional supplementation,\u00a0promotion of\u00a0healthy eating, education and counseling, physical activity, and combined diet-and-exercise programs on gestational weight gain among pregnant women in low- and middle-income countries.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aggrey\u00a0and Assistant\u00a0Professor\u00a0Dongqing\u00a0Wang, who\u00a0published this work in the journal BMJ Global\u00a0Health,\u00a0found that:\u00a0<\/p>\n
Women who received multiple micronutrient supplements\u00a0were more likely to\u00a0have\u00a0optimal\u00a0weight gain\u00a0during pregnancy compared to\u00a0women who received iron-folic acid supplementation<\/a>\u00a0alone.\u00a0Education\u00a0and counseling helped pregnant women maintain optimal weight gain, especially when the counseling was culturally tailored and nutrition-focused.\u00a0<\/p>\n Combined diet-and-physical-activity interventions, such as\u00a0personalized dietary guidance, supervised exercise, and healthy-eating reminders, were effective in reducing excessive\u00a0gestational weight gain.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Policymakers and health care providers in low- and middle-income countries can adopt these interventions and incorporate\u00a0them into routine\u00a0prenatal care to help pregnant women achieve healthy\u00a0weight gain outcomes and\u00a0reduce\u00a0preventable complications for both mothers and babies,” said\u00a0Aggrey.\u00a0<\/p>\n The effects of antenatal interventions on gestational weight gain in low and middle-income countries: a systematic review\u00a0was\u00a0published in April 2026 in\u00a0BMJ Global Health.\u00a0<\/p>\n Source:<\/p>\n Journal reference:<\/p>\n