Hidden overweight and adverse birth outcomes among Asian mothers in the United States, 2016-2023: a population-based repeated cross-sectional study

Among 1,758,116 non-Hispanic Asian mothers in US singleton live births (2016–2023), 17.9% had BMI 23.0–24.9 kg/m2, linked to higher hypertensive-disorder risk (RR 1.44).

• Why it matters: Standard BMI cutoffs may miss risk in Asian populations, and it is unclear whether “normal-weight” Asian BMI levels relate to adverse birth outcomes.
• What they did: Using repeated cross-sectional data from the National Vital Statistics System, the study modeled risk ratios with modified Poisson regression for hypertensive disorders, caesarean delivery, preterm birth, and low birthweight, including Asian subgroup adjustments.
• The result: Compared with BMI 18.5–22.9, standardized hypertensive-disorder risk was 4.5% vs 3.2% (RD 1.4 percentage points) and caesarean delivery was 32.4% vs 28.6% (RR 1.14), while preterm birth rose slightly (RR 1.08) and low birthweight was not higher (RR 0.95).

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