Teenage Obese Pregnancy: The "Double Burden" of Age and Excessive Weight on the Mother-Offspring Pair’s Health

Abstract

Obesity and pregnancy are a combination that may create unique interconnected challenges for the health of the next generation. Although pregnant obese adolescents are of concern worldwide, yet it is an issue that is currently unattended to. Here, we provide an overview of the implications for the mother-offspring pair’s health associated to teenage-pregnancy, with a focus on obesity and ‘what works’ to prevent the obesity-risk during pregnancy. Interrelated health-issues are highlighted, which include: increased negative consequences related to childbearing at young age; associations of maternal pre-gravid excessive-weight with maternal and fetal complications; and limited evidence addressing obese pregnancy in adolescents. Targeting adolescents appears the most effective approach to reduce the obesity-risk trajectory of the prospective parents early-in-life, thus breaking the intergenerational cycle of non-communicable diseases. Specifically-focused educational programs with clear and motivational messages about nutrition, physical activity and sexual health, are perceived as key-components of preventive campaigns with digital web-based technology and specialized health-services being the most promising platforms to deliver knowledge. Successful education has a double advantage: to establish healthy behaviors among adolescents at an early-stage of life, thereby preventing both obesity and early pregnancy. Lastly, realistic solutions require also political understanding and commitment.