Changes in Eating Behaviours Throughout Pregnancy: Associations with Gestational Weight Gain and Pre-pregnancy Body Mass Index.

Objective: Most pregnant women gain weight above recommended levels, and this weight gain affects mothers' and children's health. Factors influencing gestational weight gain (GWG) are numerous and include eating behaviours. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between eating behaviours and GWG while considering pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI).

Methods: Fifty-three (n = 53) women were recruited at 9.4 ± 0.6 gestational weeks. At each trimester, they completed the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire, which evaluates disinhibition, dietary restraint, and susceptibility to hunger. Using a weight gain curve, trimester-specific GWG was calculated with interpolated weights. Total GWG was calculated as the difference between maternal weight before delivery and self-reported pre-pregnancy weight (Canadian Task Force Classification II-2).

Results: Women were aged 31.5 ± 3.5, and 81.1% had a university degree. The proportion of women who gained weight within recommendations was 21%, 28%, and 26%, at each trimester, respectively, and 38% for total pregnancy. Overall, dietary restraint score was lower in the third trimester in comparison with the first (6.1 ± 4.1 vs. 7.2 ± 4.6; P = 0.049), whereas no difference was observed for disinhibition or susceptibility to hunger. Our data suggest that variations in eating behaviours throughout pregnancy were similar among women who exhibited total GWG below, within, or above recommendations (P × GWG = NS) (NS: not significant; trim: trimester). Similar observations were reported when women were compared according to their pre-pregnancy BMI (P × BMI = NS).

Conclusion: Maintaining high levels of restraint may be challenging considering the increase in hunger, which could explain the decrease observed in dietary restraint scores. Changes in eating behaviours were not associated with total GWG or pre-pregnancy BMI.