OBJECTIVE To determine the relation between overweight and obesity in mothers and preterm birth and low birth weight in singleton pregnancies in developed and developing countries. DESIGN Systematic review and meta-analyses. DATA SOURCES Medline and Embase from their inceptions, and reference lists of identified articles. STUDY SELECTION Studies including a reference group of women with n...

OBJECTIVE Few studies focus on employment outcomes for overweight and obese low-income women. We describe the relationship between body mass index and employment status among African American, Caribbean Black and White women who receive assistance through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Family program. METHODS This was a secondary analysis of data from the National Survey of American Life ...

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the most common medical complications in pregnancy, which is associated with many serious consequences for mother and her fetus. Body mass index (BMI) in pregnant women is considered as one of most effective factor for the incidence of GDM. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between BMI at pregnant women in the early...

OBJECTIVE The impact of maternal overweight/obesity and excessive weight gain on maternal serum lipids in the first and second trimester of pregnancy was evaluated. METHODS Prospective data were collected for 225 women. Maternal serum lipids and fatty acids were measured at <13 weeks and between 24 and 28 weeks. Analyses were stratified by normal weight versus overweight/obese status and exce...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the prevalence and risk of antenatal and postpartum mental disorders among obese and overweight women. DATA SOURCES Seven databases (including MEDLINE and ClinicalTrials.gov) were searched from inception to January 7, 2013, in addition to citation tracking, hand searches, and expert recommendations. METHODS OF STUDY SELECTION Studies were eligible if antenatal or postp...

Background: Abdominal obesity (AO) is a global health problem. Although few studies indicated that Nordic diet (ND) was associated with AO, no evidence exists for the association between ND and AO outside the Nordic countries. In this study, we aimed to determine the relationship of ND with AO and anthropometric indices among Iranian women. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated a...

Overweight women with and without binge eating disorder (BED) are characterized by a marked body dissatisfaction, which may in part be due to the negative comments about their weight. Weight-related teasing and discrimination is reported both by healthy overweight women and women with BED, whereas body dissatisfaction is markedly increased among women with BED. Therefore, a memory bias for nega...

BACKGROUND Our objective was to evaluate changes in serum leptin levels during pregnancy in overweight/obese and non-obese women and to assess total and percent weight gain during pregnancy as possible factors that influence leptin levels. MATERIAL AND METHODS In a prospective study of 42 low-risk pregnant women receiving prenatal care, we assessed serum leptin levels at gestational weeks 9-1...

Objects: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is an independent risk factor for chronic metabolic disorders (CMD). This study investigated the prevalence of MS and overweight/obesity among women of childbearing age in southern China. Methods: A nationally representative sample of 3200 southern Chinese women aged 20-45 years were randomly selected from 16 sampling units of two rural areas (Zhongshan and Xinh...

BACKGROUND To our knowledge, no single investigation concerning the long-term effects of overweight status on the risk for hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular sequelae has been reported. METHODS Relations between categories of body mass index (BMI), cardiovascular disease risk factors, and vascular disease end points were examined prospectively in Framing...