Understanding the links between female adolescent development, weight gain, subsequent maternal
obesity, and adverse pregnancy outcomes is critical if we are to improve the health of future generations.
Excess weight gain during adolescence often persists into adult life and is compounded during
childbearing years. Adolescence is a “high-risk period” for weight gain, characterized by critical changes in
body composition, insulin sensitivity, eating and activity behaviors, and psychological adjustments [1–3].
Excess weight gain during this key transitional period places an adolescent girl at increased risk of
maintaining unhealthy levels of body fat in childbearing years. As adolescence is a time of
developmental plasticity [4,5] in which lifelong habits can become established, lifestyle interventions
during this period may have a significant influence on lifelong health. Specifically, the promotion of
sensible eating and physical activity during adolescence may modify an adolescent’s risk of adult
obesity [1,6].