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A Behavioral Intervention to Reduce Excessive Gestational Weight Gain

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Abstract

Objectives Excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) is a key modifiable risk factor for negative maternal and child health. We examined the efficacy of a behavioral intervention in preventing excessive GWG. Methods 230 pregnant women (87.4 % Caucasian, mean age = 29.2 years; second parity) participated in the longitudinal Glowing study (clinicaltrial.gov #NCT01131117), which included six intervention sessions focused on GWG. To determine the efficacy of the intervention in comparison to usual care, participants were compared to a matched contemporary cohort group from the Arkansas Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring Survey (PRAMS). Results Participants attended 98 % of intervention sessions. Mean GWG for the Glowing participants was 12.7 ± 2.7 kg for normal weight women, 12.4 ± 4.9 kg for overweight women, and 9.0 ± 4.2 kg for class 1 obese women. Mean GWG was significantly lower for normal weight and class 1 obese Glowing participants compared to the PRAMS respondents. Similarly, among those who gained excessively, normal weight and class 1 obese Glowing participants had a significantly smaller mean weight gain above the guidelines in comparison to PRAMS participants. There was no significant difference in the overall proportion of the Glowing participants and the proportion of matched PRAMS respondents who gained in excess of the Institute of Medicine GWG guidelines. Conclusions for Practice This behavioral intervention was well-accepted and attenuated GWG among normal weight and class 1 obese women, compared to matched participants. Nevertheless, a more intensive intervention may be necessary to help women achieve GWG within the Institute of Medicine’s guidelines.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by USDA-ARS # 6026-51000-010-05S. We would like to thank the participants and the clinical research team at the Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center for their dedication to the research. The research team gratefully acknowledges the Arkansas PRAMS program, Health Statistics Branch, Arkansas Department of Health and the CDC PRAMS Team, Program Services and Development Branch, Division of Reproductive Health, for sharing the PRAMS data used in this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Population Sciences, Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 66 N. Pauline St., Memphis, TN, 38163, USA

    Rebecca A. Krukowski

  2. Department of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA

    Delia West

  3. Office of Health Communications, Arkansas Department of Health, Little Rock, AR, USA

    Marisha DiCarlo

  4. Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center & Arkansas Children’s Research Institute, Little Rock, AR, USA

    Kartik Shankar, Mario A. Cleves & Aline Andres

  5. Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA

    Kartik Shankar, Mario A. Cleves & Aline Andres

  6. Health Statistics Branch, Center for Public Health Practice, Arkansas Department of Health, Slot 19, 4815 West Markham St., Little Rock, AR, 72205, USA

    Eric Tedford

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  1. Rebecca A. Krukowski
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  2. Delia West
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  3. Marisha DiCarlo
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  6. Eric Tedford
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  7. Aline Andres
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Correspondence to Rebecca A. Krukowski.

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Krukowski, R.A., West, D., DiCarlo, M. et al. A Behavioral Intervention to Reduce Excessive Gestational Weight Gain. Matern Child Health J 21, 485–491 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-016-2127-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-016-2127-5

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