Interventions to improve diet and weight gain among pregnant adolescents and recommendations for future research.

Pregnant adolescents are at particular risk for both inadequate and excessive gestational weight gain and for inadequate intake of micronutrients that support healthy fetal development. This article reviews the available literature on prenatal nutrition interventions intended to address such risks to identify effective strategies and needs for further research. A medical model providing enhanced prenatal care aimed at improved birth weight predominated.

High gestational weight gain does not improve birth weight in a cohort of African American adolescents.

Background: Because pregnant African American women and teens are at risk of low birth weight, they are frequently counseled to strive for gestational weight gains at the upper limits of the Institute of Medicine's recommended ranges.

Objective: The objective was to examine whether such weight gains improve birth outcomes in a cohort of disadvantaged African American adolescents of low (<19.8), average (> or =19.