The prevalence of malnutrition and its association with pregnancy outcome among pregnant women in Rafsanjan, Iran, in 2016

Background: Malnutrition in both its forms of obesity and underweight, particularly in pregnant women, cause maternal mortality and prenatal complications. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of malnutrition among pregnant women and its effect on pregnancy outcome, in Rafsanjan, Iran, in 2016. Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted on 839 pregnant women referred to Niknafs and Ali-Ebn Abitaleb Hospitals in 2016. The subjects were selected by census method. Data [age, pregnancy age, pre-gestational height and weight, and body mass index (BMI)] were collected in the emergency ward and recorded in a checklist. Information on the type of delivery (normal or cesarean section), and the neonate’s gender, weight, height, and head circumference at birth were collected in the maternity ward. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA, Fisher’s exact test, and chi-square test. Results: This study showed that the prevalence of pregestational overweight & obesity, and underweight was 37.5% and 7.4%, respectively. The prevalence of neonatal LBW and HBW was 5.1% and 3.8%, respectively. In addition, 9.7% of underweight women had LBW neonatals, and 11.8% of women with pregestational obesity had HBW infants (P = 0.039). Conclusions: The prevalence of obesity in pregnant women was higher than that reported in other studies in different regions of Iran. Therefore, obesity is a warning for health politicians and administrators. Although prenatal care has been able to control neonatal LBW and HBW, although there is a long way until the achievement of the nutritional goals for 2025.