[Factors associated with excessive gestational weight gain among patients in prenatal care at a public hospital in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil].

This study assessed excessive weight gain in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy and the influence of biological, socio-demographic, behavioral, and reproductive factors and co-morbidity. The cross-sectional sample included 240 pregnant women at low risk of obstetric complications, followed from May 2000 to July 2001. There were 347 patient records in the original database, but 107 were excluded because of age (42 patients were younger than 18 years) or lack of data on weight (65 women). Excessive weight gain was common in all categories of baseline nutritional status, but was more frequent in the second trimester among women who were already overweight or obese upon entering pregnancy. In the third trimester, variables associated with excessive weekly weight gain were schooling and marital status.