ABSTRACT
Weight gain in pregnancy is an important indicator in the prediction of morbidity and mortality in infants and mothers. The Telangana State government, with UNICEF's technical assistance, enhanced the routine monitoring of Gestational Weight Gain (GWG) across its 33 districts, targeting around 687,530 pregnant women. The aim was to ensure that over 80% of pregnant women received regular GWG monitoring and personalised monthly counselling sessions, emphasising appropriate weight gain, dietary diversity, and antenatal care (ANC).
In 2023, across Telangana, 225,761 mothers completed pregnancies, with 94.2% first trimester registration and coverage for four ANC services, including weight gain monitoring in each trimester. This high level of engagement reflected the programme's effectiveness and efficiency in reaching its intended beneficiaries with GWG services. At registration, 29% of women were underweight, 9% were overweight, and approximately 62% had a normal BMI. Underweight women (pre-pregnancy weight <40 kg) gained an average of 9.03 kg during pregnancy. Overweight or obese women (pre-pregnancy weight >70 kg) gained an average of 5.85 kg. These women received personalised diet and physical activity counselling. 90% of women delivered babies with positive birth weights ranging from 2.72 to 2.92 kg. It was evident that for mothers at nutritional risk, whether overweight or underweight, if effectively managed through diet and physical activity advice, they could have positive birth outcomes. This initiative benefited from a more robust integration with other services such as gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and hypertension screening. Consistently improving the capacities and skills of both systems and the workforce was essential to address these issues comprehensively.
