Grant: Operating Grant

Most Canadian women gain too much weight during pregnancy. This is a concern because women with high weight gain in pregnancy are less likely to return to their pre-pregnancy weight after delivery, more likely to become obese, and more likely have obese children. In this project, our goal is to develop reference charts to help monitor and assess pregnancy weight gain of Canadian women. The charts will be based on the weight gain patterns of women with healthy pregnancies delivering in smaller and larger centres in western (BC), central (Ontario), and eastern (Nova Scotia) Canada. We will then identify the ranges on the weight gain charts that are linked with the best pregnancy outcomes for mother and baby. This project will produce a novel tool for women and their care providers to support appropriate weight gain in pregnancy, and address multiple topics that are research priorities for the CIHR such as reproduction, maternal health, and obesity.