Introduction: Obesity during pregnancy: A problem of large magnitude

Obesity is considered a chronic disease, prevalent in both developed and developing countries, and affecting all ages. Weight gain and obesity are posing a growing threat to health in countries all over the world. From a public health perspective, the well recognized worldwide public health concerns such as under-nutrition and infectious diseases have been replaced by overweight and obesity as a major contributor to poor health. Throughout the history of obesity, the public's attitude towards obesity has been altered considerably, at times it was conceived as a symbol of wealth and social status and at times it was regarded as unfashionable, unhealthy and even sinful. Obesity is associated with a variety of adverse medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease, some types of cancer, diabetes mellitus, stroke, respiratory problems and arthritis. Overweight and obesity have been associated with an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. This chapter introduces the problem of obesity during pregnancy and describes the sections of this book.