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DOI: 10.1055/a-2558-2169
GebFra Science
Original Article

Reduction of Neonatal Macrosomia Rate of Infants Born to Overweight and Obese Women through Nutrition Counseling in Pregnancy – A One-arm Interventional Study

Article in several languages: English | deutsch
Sabine Körber
1   Universitätsfrauenklinik und Poliklinik am Klinikum Südstadt Rostock, Universitätsmedizin Rostock, Rostock, Germany (Ringgold ID: RIN39071)
,
Marina Polei
1   Universitätsfrauenklinik und Poliklinik am Klinikum Südstadt Rostock, Universitätsmedizin Rostock, Rostock, Germany (Ringgold ID: RIN39071)
,
Toralf Reimer
1   Universitätsfrauenklinik und Poliklinik am Klinikum Südstadt Rostock, Universitätsmedizin Rostock, Rostock, Germany (Ringgold ID: RIN39071)
,
Henrik Rudolf
2   Institut für Biostatistik und Informatik in Medizin und Alternsforschung (IBIMA), Universitätsmedizin Rostock, Rostock, Germany (Ringgold ID: RIN268179)
,
Johannes Stubert 
1   Universitätsfrauenklinik und Poliklinik am Klinikum Südstadt Rostock, Universitätsmedizin Rostock, Rostock, Germany (Ringgold ID: RIN39071)
› Author Affiliations
Supported by: Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Arbeit und Gesundheit Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
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Abstract

Introduction

Because of fetal programming, neonatal macrosomia is associated with a higher long-term risk of metabolic disease. In 2020, the overall macrosomia rate of term-born singletons born to overweight or obese mothers in our center was approximately 30%. The aim of our study was to reduce the macrosomia rate with pregnancy-related nutrition counseling.

Methods

This is a single center, one-arm, interventional pilot study of 99 singleton pregnancies. The intervention took the form of three individual and group education sessions on pregnancy-relevant nutritional topics and exercise in the 10th to 14th, 20th to 24th and 30th to 34th weeks of gestation. The primary endpoint was the overall macrosomia rate born to overweight/obese mothers and birth ≥ 37 weeks of gestation. Macrosomia was defined as the presence of at least one of the following criteria: birth weight ≥ 4000 g, birth weight > 90th percentile, length-related birth weight > 90th percentile, birth weight > 90th percentile after adjustment for initial maternal weight and height. The results were compared with those of a non-interventional cohort from the same center.

Results

Ninety-one percent of pregnant women with a pre-pregnancy BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 had a delivery at term (n = 77/85). The overall macrosomia rate of these children was 19.5% (95% CI: 11.3% to 30.1%, n = 15/77) and therefore lower than the expected BMI-corrected macrosomia rate of the comparison group of 31.3% (p = 0.026). In the total cohort, which included normal-weight women, a trend toward normalization of birth weights was observed (p = 0.083).

Conclusion

Professional nutrition counseling during pregnancy can reduce the neonatal macrosomia rate of infants born to women with a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2. Relevant provision of counseling services in the context of antenatal care would be useful for affected women.

Keywords

obesity - overweight - pregnancy - nutrition counseling - neonatal macrosomia

Supplementary Material



Publication History

Received: 12 August 2024

Accepted after revision: 09 March 2025

Article published online:
12 June 2025

© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Oswald-Hesse-Straße 50, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

 

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