Objective:
The present study aimed to investigate weight retention and body
composition in the postpartum period between adolescent girls and older
women.
Design:
A prospective cohort study. Anthropometry and skinfold thickness
measurements were performed at the first antenatal visit and at 6 weeks post-
partum. An FFQ was administered at 6 weeks postpartum to explore the rela-
tionship between diet and postpartum weight retention.
Setting:
Clinics at the University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica.
Subjects:
Recruitment included women aged 19 years and younger (adolescent
girls) and 20 years and older (older women).
Results:
Three hundred and forty women were studied. Adolescent girls had
significantly lower measurements compared with the older women at the first
antenatal visit and at 6 weeks postpartum. Dietary intakes of energy and mac-
ronutrients were similar in both groups. Postnatal assessments showed that
adolescent girls retained more weight (
P
5
0
?
003) and a greater percentage of
body fat (
P
,
0
?
002) than older women. In multiple regression analyses, 0
?
982kg
more fat mass was retained postpartum in the adolescent group compared with
the older women, while there was no significant difference in lean body mass
retained between the two groups.
Conclusions:
Adolescent girls retained more weight postpartum and this was
predominantly fat mass as opposed to lean body mass.