Prevalence and Predictors of Body Mass Index-Based Nutritional Status in Early Pregnancy: A Community-Based Study

Abstract

Nutritional status in early pregnancy plays a critical role in maternal and foetal health outcomes. The maternal suboptimal nutritional status caused gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders, intrauterine growth restriction, and preterm birth. Therefore, the current study aimed to assess the prevalence and predictors of BMI-based nutritional status in first-trimester pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in the Colombo district, Sri Lanka. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 380 firsttrimester pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in four purposively selected Medical Officer of Health (MOH) areas in Colombo District. Participants were selected through simple random sampling. Data collection involved a validated, interviewer-administered questionnaire. Nutritional status was categorized using international BMI cutoffs. The data were analysed descriptively for frequencies, percentages, mean, and standard deviations. Fisher’s Exact Test identified associations, and significant variables (p<0.05) were further analysed using multinomial logistic regression to identify independent predictors. The mean BMI was 25.79 ± 4.57 kg/m². A substantial proportion of participants were overweight (31.3%) or obese (22.4%), while 42.9% had a normal BMI and 3.4% were underweight. Significant predictors of nutritional status included residential areas (B=0.85, OR=0.42), parity (B=-0.81, OR=0.44), planned pregnancy (B=-3.37, OR=0.034), nutritional guidance (B=-1.22, OR=0.29), and dietary diversity (B=-0.1.91, OR=0.14). Overweight and obesity were prevalent among first-trimester pregnant women in the selected study setting. Improving the existing antenatal health interventions focusing on dietary diversity,pregnancy planning, and nutritional counselling is essential to improve maternal nutrition in early pregnancy.