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Reliability of Gestational Weight Gain Reported Postpartum: A Comparison to the Birth Certificate

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Abstract

Gestational weight gain (GWG) is an important predictor of short- and long-term adverse maternal and child outcomes. As interest in long-term outcomes increases, utilization of maternal postpartum report is likely to also increase. There is little data available examining the reliability and identifying predictors of bias in GWG recalled by mothers postpartum. We used data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort, a national study of U.S. children born in 2001, to compare GWG recalled by mothers approximately 10 months postpartum to GWG recorded on the birth certificate, among 5,650 records. On average, the postpartum estimates were 2.1 lbs higher (standard error, 0.2 lbs.) than the birth certificate report; 54.7 % were within 5 lbs, 27.2 % were overreported by more than 5 lbs, and 18.2 % were underreported by more than 5 lbs. The difference between the two sources increased with GWG reported postpartum and was significantly greater among mothers who were obese prior to pregnancy, had inadequate prenatal care, or were multiparous. Bias also differed by birth outcome, indicating the potential for recall bias. When categorized by adequacy of the 2009 Institute of Medicine GWG recommendations, 70 % of women were similarly categorized, and associations between GWG adequacy and small- and large-birthweight-for-gestational-age did not differ meaningfully by source of GWG data. These results suggest that for future studies, mothers’ estimates of their GWG, obtained within approximately 1 year postpartum, may be a reliable substitute when birth certificate GWG data are unavailable.

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Acknowledgments

This research was performed under an appointment to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education under contract number DE-AC05-06OR23100 between the U.S. Department of Energy and Oak Ridge Associated Universities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nutrition and Health Sciences, Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Emory University, 1462 Clifton Rd, Suite 314, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA

    Stefanie N. Hinkle, Andrea J. Sharma, Usha Ramakrishnan & Aryeh D. Stein

  2. Division of Reproductive Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Hwy NE, MS-K23, Atlanta, GA, 30341-3717, USA

    Stefanie N. Hinkle & Andrea J. Sharma

  3. Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Hwy NE, MS-E86, Atlanta, GA, 30341-3717, USA

    Laura A. Schieve

  4. Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA

    Usha Ramakrishnan, Deanne W. Swan & Aryeh D. Stein

Authors
  1. Stefanie N. Hinkle
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  2. Andrea J. Sharma
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  3. Laura A. Schieve
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Correspondence to Andrea J. Sharma.

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The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Hinkle, S.N., Sharma, A.J., Schieve, L.A. et al. Reliability of Gestational Weight Gain Reported Postpartum: A Comparison to the Birth Certificate. Matern Child Health J 17, 756–765 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-012-1057-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-012-1057-0

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