title: The relationship between preterm birth and underweight in Asian women.
abstract: Although vast improvements have been made in the survival of preterm infants, the toll of preterm birth (PTB) is particularly severe in Asia, with the Indian subcontinent leading the preterm birth rate. Despite the obesity epidemic, maternal underweight remains a common occurrence in developing countries. An association between maternal underweight and preterm birth has been reported in developed countries. A review of epidemiological studies in Asian women in whom association between maternal body mass index (BMI) and risk of PTB was measured, indicated no significant association between low maternal BMI and preterm birth. A hindrance in comparison of these studies is the use of different cut-off point for BMI in defining maternal underweight. As a commentary on published studies it is proposed that that country-specific BMI cut points should be applied for defining underweight for Asian women for the purpose of evaluating the association between maternal underweight and preterm birth.
authors: Department of Human Nutrition, University of Alabama, Box 870311, 504 University Blvd, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, United States. Electronic address: yneggers@ches.ua.edu.
authors: Yasmin H
authors: YH
authors: Neggers
mesh_terms: D001208:Asia / Q000453:epidemiology; D044466:Asian People; D001724:Birth Weight; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D000068097:Maternal Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D009752:Nutritional Status / Q000208:ethnology; D011247:Pregnancy; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology*; D039401:Prenatal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000208:ethnology; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013851:Thinness / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000503:physiopathology
keywords: Asian; Body mass index; Preterm birth; Underweight