GAIN South Tees
Research type
Research Study
Full title
GAIN: Guideline Adoption and Implementation of National Academy of Medicine recommendations in South Tees
IRAS ID
355665
Contact name
Nicola Heslehurst
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 5 months, 31 days
Research summary
Starting pregnancy with overweight or obesity (Body Mass Index (BMI) 25.0-29.9 and ≥30.0kg/m2 respectively) and gaining too much weight during pregnancy can significantly impact outcomes for both mother* and child.
The UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines recommend that women should not be routinely weighed during pregnancy unless there is a clinical need. The UK guidelines do not recommend how much weight women should gain during pregnancy. In contrast, other countries have adopted the USA National Academy of Medicine (NAM) guidelines which recommend the amount of weight women should gain during pregnancy based on their pre-pregnancy BMI. Women who start pregnancy with higher BMIs are recommended to gain less weight during pregnancy than those who start pregnancy with lower BMIs. South Tees NHS Foundation Trust Hospital currently embed these NAM guidelines into routine maternity care. At South Tees, all women have their weight measured and charted against NAM recommended weight gain ranges at each antenatal visit. Women who start pregnancy with a BMI ≥ 40 are referred to a Healthy Lifestyle Clinic for more intensive weight management support.
This study aims to evaluate the South Tees model of embedding regular weight gain monitoring into routine maternity care. The findings will be used to develop recommendations for service improvement and policy development. The study will involve analyzing service data to determine the impact of regular weight monitoring on weight gain during pregnancy and mother and infant outcomes. We will also speak with women to explore their experiences of regular weight gain monitoring. We will discuss with staff how they feel about monitoring women’s weight as part of routine care.
REC name
London - Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/PR/1221
Date of REC Opinion
17 Sep 2025
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion