title: A pilot study on the prevalence of maternal obesity in selected Greek counties.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report a pilot prevalence of maternal overweight, obesity and underweight in selected Greek counties.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 441 adult childbearing women were recruited from maternity clinics in 6 Greek counties for this cross-sectional study. Pre-gravid weight status was defined according to the WHO cut-offs and gravid weight status was diagnosed with the Mardones and Rosso weight gain chart.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During gestation the majority of the participants were of normal body weight (BW) (34.0%), obesity was apparent in 25.6% of the sample, 23.8% of the participants were underweight, and the remaining 16.6% were overweight. Overall, pregnancy tripled the prevalence of underweight, increased the prevalence of obesity (by 388.0%) and decreased the number of participants in the normal BW category (p≤0.001 for all). The majority of participants classified in each pre-gravid weight-category remained in the same weight category during their gestation. All the pre-gravidly obese women were also obese during pregnancy. Underweight was more prevalent in Kavala (37.5%) and obesity was more frequent in Thessaloniki (30.8%). Women who were overweight prior to conception were highly likely to be overweight/obese during pregnancy (OR: 23.8, CI: 11.1-51.0).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results indicate a high prevalence of overweight, obesity and underweight among pregnant women in Greece.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Nutrition & Dietetics, Alexander Technological Educational Institute, PO Box 141, GR-57400 Thessaloniki, Greece. Electronic address: maria@nutr.teithe.gr.
authors.forename: Maria G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Grammatikopoulou
authors.forename: Agathi A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Pritsa
authors.forename: Sophia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Badeka
authors.forename: Irini
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Aggelaki
authors.forename: Ioanna
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Giantsiou
authors.forename: Assimina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Houta
authors.forename: Vasiliki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Zeibekoglou
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kyriazi
authors.forename: Polykseni
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Papanastasiou
authors.forename: Eleni
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Perdiki
authors.forename: Despoina
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gkipatidou
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tsigga
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D013851:Thinness / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Bajo peso; Childbearing; Embarazo; Fértil; Obese; Obesidad; Overweight; Pregnancy; Sobrepeso; Underweight