Obesity during pregnancy threatens health of mother, fetus

Greg Gumbel, Emmy Award winning sportscaster and a national March of Dimes trustee, was in Omaha Wednesday.

The rising obesity rate in the United States is a risk to the health of pregnant women and their babies according to the March of Dimes. To help address the issue, March of Dimes, Nebraska Chapter Wednesday announced it will take steps to educate women about the issue of obesity and the impact it has on the unborn fetus.

“Obesity among women of childbearing age is at a crisis level,” said Jennifer Howse, Ph.D., president of the March of Dimes. “We are concerned because it means more women are overweight or obese when they become pregnant, and this can have serious consequences for both mother and baby.’

Obesity among Nebraska women of childbearing age continues to rise. Obesity rates for females aged 20-29 years nearly tripled from 1992-1994 to 2001-2002, increasing from 5 percent to 13.8 percent. In an average week in Nebraska 11 percent of babies are born premature, according to the March of Dimes.

UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., meets with Greg Gumbel and Dennis O’Neal, First National Bank President-Corporate Bank during a March of Dimes breakfast in downtown Omaha.

“Obesity during pregnancy carries with it a number of risk factors,” said Carl Smith, M.D., board member of the Nebraska chapter of the March of Dimes and chairman of UNMC’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. “Obese women are more likely to deliver a child with spinal defects than are women of normal weight.”

Siobhan (SHOW-VON) Dolan, M.D., assistant medical director of the March of Dimes, who is with the team spearheading the organization’s National Prematurity Campaign, agrees. “”Weight does matter,” she said. “Weight is an important medical predictor of pregnancy outcome. We can all play a role in letting women know how to figure out their body mass index.”

To address the issue in Nebraska, the March of Dimes is making a collection of educational materials available to pregnant women and those women considering becoming pregnant at no charge. Over the next week packets of information will be available through 17 Omaha sites. The materials will emphasize the need for prenatal care as a step to control obesity and other preterm birth risk factors.

The announcement came Wednesday during a breakfast co-sponsored by the March of Dimes partners’ First National Bank of Omaha and UNMC. Greg Gumbel, Emmy Award winning sportscaster and a national March of Dimes trustee, was the featured speaker at the event.

National sportscaster Greg Gumbel joins Sarah Weidner at a March of Dimes breakfast in downtown Omaha.

“I got involved with the March of Dimes a number of years ago,” Gumbel said. “I filled in for someone as the emcee at a program in Detroit and as part of my visit there I was taken for a walk through the neonatal section of a hospital. And I will tell you it is probably the fastest way to get hooked on a cause.”

On Nov. 16, March of Dimes will continue to address the various factors surrounding preterm birth through grassroots prematurity summits to be held in Omaha and Lincoln. The general public, health care centers and various community leaders will be invited to attend the summits.

“The incidence of premature births in Nebraska has been slightly but steadily increasing over the last 10 years,” Dr. Smith said. “It is incumbent upon institutions that perform and fund research to try and identify causes of premature delivery.”

Sites for Education Packet Distribution First National Bank of Omaha Child Care Center UNMC OB/GYN Clinic Sylvan Learning Center Omaha Healthy Start One World Community Health Center Douglas County Health Department Carlson Hospitality Kindercare Shopko/Pamida Continental General Werner Enterprises Mutual of Omaha Creighton University Medical Center OB/GYN Clinic Alegent Health System Methodist Health Systems Central States Insurance Famous Footwear

In the previous two years, the principle focus of the March of Dimes has been pre-folic acid administration to reduce birth defects. “By applying research dollars in a comprehensive education program, the March of Dimes has been very successful,” Dr. Smith said. “The funds that the March of Dimes has contributed to research at UNMC have been used predominately in the area of birth defects.”

The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies and in 2003 launched a five-year campaign to address the increasing rate of premature birth.

For more information, visit the March of Dimes Spanish Web site or its English Web site.