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Acta clinica Croatica, Vol. 64. No. 4, 2025.

Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.20471/acc.2025.64.04.06

Trends in Pre-Pregnancy Body Mass Index and Gestational Weight Gain Among Pregnant Women in Croatia

Katja Vince orcid id orcid.org/0000-0001-5992-5030 ; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Merkur University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia *
Marija Švajda ; Croatian Institute of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia
Tamara Poljičanin orcid id orcid.org/0000-0003-2336-0861 ; Croatian Institute of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia
Ratko Matijević ; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Merkur University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

* Corresponding author.

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Abstract

Maternal overweight, obesity and weight gain during pregnancy have become important
obstetric concerns as they represent the most common risk factor for adverse perinatal outcomes
in developed countries. The aim of this study was to determine trends in pre-pregnancy body mass index
(BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) in Croatia. Pre-pregnancy BMI and GWG trends from
2003 to 2019 were analyzed using national delivery data. Joinpoint regression analysis was performed.
Age adjusted obesity rate among pregnant women significantly increased from 59.4 to 77.7 per 1000,
with a mean of 1.7% per year (95% CI 0.6 to 2.8, p=0.004), while age adjusted rate of women achieving
GWG above recommendations significantly decreased from 352.1 to 301.1 per 1000 women (annual
percent change-1.0%, 95% CI -1.4 to -0.6, p<0.001). The rate of women with normal BMI and those
achieving recommended GWG increased, but these trends were not statistically significant. In conclusion,
the rate of obesity in pregnant women in Croatia is high and has an increasing trend that has not
been halted or reversed. Public health strategies addressing weight management require reevaluation
with emphasis on preconception care. A decreasing trend of pregnant women achieving GWG above
recommendations is welcoming and reflects increasing awareness of appropriate weight management
during pregnancy.

Keywords

Body mass index; Gestational weight gain; Joinpoint regression; Public health; Pregnancy

Hrčak ID:

344698

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/344698

Publication date:

31.12.2025.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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