Abstract
Objective This study aimed to determine whether the lockdown period of the initial novel coronavirus
disease 2019 (COVID-19) surge in New York affected gestational weight gain (GWG),
newborn birth weight (BW), and the frequency of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).
Maternal and newborn outcomes during the first wave of the pandemic were compared
with those during the same timeframe in the previous 2 years.
Study Design Retrospective cross-sectional study of all live singleton term deliveries from April
1 to July 31 between 2018 and 2020 at seven hospitals within a large academic health
system in New York. Patients were excluded for missing data on: BW, GWG, prepregnancy
body mass index, and gestational age at delivery. We compared GWG, GDM, and BW during
the pandemic period (April–July 2020) with the same months in 2018 and 2019 (prepandemic)
to account for seasonality. Linear regression was used to model the continuous outcomes
of GWG and BW. Logistic regression was used to model the binary outcome of GDM.
Results A total of 20,548 patients were included in the study: 6,672 delivered during the
pandemic period and 13,876 delivered during the prepandemic period. On regression
analysis, after adjustment for study epoch and patient characteristics, the pandemic
period was associated with lower GWG (β = −0.46, 95% confidence interval [CI]: −0.87 to −0.05), more GDM (adjusted odds ratio
[aOR] = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.10–1.39), and no change in newborn BW (β = 0.03, 95% CI: −11.7 to 11.8) compared with the referent period. The largest increases
in GDM between the two study epochs were noted in patients who identified as Hispanic
(8.6 vs. 6.0%; p < 0.005) and multiracial/other (11.8 vs. 7.0%; p < 0.001).
Conclusion The lockdown period of the pandemic was associated with a decrease in GWG and increase
in GDM. Not all groups were affected equally. Hispanic and multiracial patients experienced
a larger percentage change in GDM compared with non-Hispanic white patients.
Key Points
-
The COVID-19 lockdown was associated with decreased GWG and increased GDM.
-
No change in newborn BW was seen during the lockdown.
-
Overall, the lockdown did not have a large clinical effect on these pregnancy outcomes.
Keywords
lockdown - sheltering in place - stay at home - COVID-19 - weight gain - pregnancy
- gestational diabetes - birth weight
