Evidence mapPaperPMID 41423229Full record

SynthesisJournal of epidemiology2026

Impact of Maternal Underweight on Infant and Maternal Outcomes in Japanese Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Shinobu Kobayashi, Shiori Itoi, Drishti Shrestha, Naho Morisaki

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of epidemiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Shinobu KobayashiDepartment of Social Medicine, National Center for Child Health and Development.ORCID 0000-0002-3606-1257
Shiori ItoiDepartment of Social Medicine, National Center for Child Health and Development.
Drishti ShresthaGraduate School of Public Health, St. Luke's International University.
Naho MorisakiDepartment of Social Medicine, National Center for Child Health and Development.ORCID 0000-0001-6151-4513

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPre-pregnancy underweight (BMI <18.5 kg/m

methodsWe conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 guidelines. MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, and Ichushi were searched from inception to February 2024. Cohort and case-control studies examining associations between pre-pregnancy underweight and perinatal outcomes in Japanese women with singleton pregnancies were included. Primary outcomes were low birth weight (LBW), small for gestational age (SGA), and preterm birth (PTB). Random-effects models calculated pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

resultsThirty-four studies were analyzed. Pre-pregnancy underweight significantly increased risks of LBW (OR 1.61; 95% CI, 1.38-1.86), SGA (OR 1.59; 95% CI, 1.55-1.63), and PTB (OR 1.23; 95% CI, 1.19-1.26). Mean birth weight was 115.02 g lower (95% CI, -128.05 to -101.99) in underweight mothers.

conclusionPre-pregnancy underweight among Japanese women is significantly associated with increased risks of adverse perinatal outcomes. Notably, these elevated risks persist despite the high background prevalence of underweight, suggesting that their adverse effects are not diminished in populations where it is more common. These findings underscore the importance of increasing awareness of preconception care and emphasize the need to optimize pre-pregnancy weight.

Indexed as

Pregnancy ComplicationsPregnancy OutcomePremature BirthThinnessFemaleHumansInfant, Low Birth WeightInfant, NewbornInfant, Small for Gestational AgeJapanPregnancyJapanese womenpregnancy outcomespre-pregnancy BMIunderweight

Identifiers

PMID41423229
PMCPMC13349791

What Socratic holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.