First author Year of
publication 		Location Study
period 		Study population Weight/height
measurement 		BMI classification Adjusted for Outcomes
reported
Moore et al.
[45] 		2000 Boston,
USA		 Oct 1984
to
Jun 1987 		Women who had
MSAFP screening
and were receiving
prenatal care in Boston		 Retrospectively
self reported
by mother		 UW < 25
NWa 25 to < 28
Obeseb ≥ 28 		Maternal age, education,
first trimester cigarette use,
alcohol intake, folic acid
and retinol intake
during pregnancy		 Orofacial cleftd
Garcia-Patterson
et al. [56] 		2004 Barcelona,
Spain		 Jan 1986
to
Jul 2002 		Women with
gestational diabetes
in the Hospitals of
Holy Cross
and St Paul’s		 Did not say 1st tertile
(15.43, 21.91)
2nd tertilea
(21.92, 24.77)
3rd tertile
(24.78, 47.07)		 Maternal age,
smoking in first trimester		 Congenital
malformationse
Villamor et al.
[57] 		2008 Sweden 1992
to
2004 		Women with births
recorded on Swedish
Medical Birth Registry		 At first antenatal visit Change in BMIc Mother‘s country of origin,
maternal age, paternal age,
mothers education, smoking,
complications at pregnancy		 CL
CP
CLP

aExcluded because NW is not according to WHO classification.
bExcluded because obese is not according to WHO classification.
cExcluded because reference weight was “change in BMI”.
dExcluded because congenital malformation included all forms of malformation and the did not report the outcomes of individual malformation.
eExcluded because orofacial cleft was not sub-divided.
MSAFP = maternal serum a-fetoprotein; NW = normal weight (reference weight); UW = underweight; CL = cleft lip; CP = cleft palate; CLP = cleft lip with or without palate; orofacial cleft = CP+CLP; BMI = body mass index.