Objective To estimate the associations between gestational weight gain (GWG) during pregnancy and neonatal outcomes in low and middle income countries.
Design Individual participant data meta-analysis.
Setting Prospective pregnancy studies from 24 low and middle income countries.
Main outcome measures Nine neonatal outcomes related to timing (preterm birth) and anthropometry (weight, length, and head circumference) at birth, stillbirths, and neonatal death.
Analysis methods A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science which identified 53 prospective pregnancy studies published after the year 2000 with data on GWG, timing and anthropometry at birth, and neonatal mortality. GWG adequacy was defined as the ratio of the observed maternal weight gain over the recommended weight gain based on the Institute of Medicine body mass index specific guidelines, which are derived from data in high income settings, and the INTERGROWTH-21st GWG standards. Study specific
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