Dietary restraint and weight gain during pregnancy

Objectives: To explore dietary intake and weight gain during pregnancy in relation to dietary restraint. Design: Longitudinal prospective study. Attitudes to weight gain during pregnancy were assessed using self-administered questionnaires and dietary intake by 7-d weighed diet records in early and late pregnancy. Setting: South West London 1995 - 1996. Subjects: 74 Caucasian pregnant women expecting their first or second baby were recruited through a London hospital and data from 62 women were analysed. Results: Restrained eaters were significantly less likely to experience weight gains within the recommended range for their pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) (P = 0.026). They gained either more or less weight than recommended. Conclusions: Dietary restraint appears to have undesirable influences on eating and weight gain during pregnancy which require further attention. Sponsorship: South Bank University and Cow and Gate Nutricia Ltd. provided financial assistance for this project. Descriptors: dietary restraint; pregnancy; weight gain; slimming.