The Effect of Lifestyle Intervention to Prevent Excessive Weight Gain During Pregnancy and Promote Postpartum Weight Loss in Overweight and Obese Women

Abstract

1.1. Objective: To assess the efficacy of a theory-based lifestyle counselling intervention sessions in overweight and obese women for the prevention of excessive pregnancy weight gain and indorse postpartum weight loss. 1.2. Methods: Participants with singleton pregnancy at a 12th week of gestation, 18–40 years and BMI ≥ 25 ≤ 40 kg/m2 were included. The pregnant women were randomized to intervention and control group. Three face-to-face lifestyle counselling sessions was attended during the pregnancy (at 12-16, 16-20 and 30- 34 weeks) and one after delivery at 6-8 weeks’ postpartum stage by the intervention group participants. While, the control group received routine prenatal care. The guidelines of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) were used for the gestational weight gain assessment. 1.3. Results: We included 25 women in intervention and 24 in control group in this study. There was no statistically significant difference between the demographic features of the two groups. The mean pre-pregnancy weight was 27.8 kg in intervention and 29.4 kg in control group. The intervention group gained an average less total weight gain (12.23 kg) as compared to control group (18.64 kg); P -value 0.002. The IOM weight gain guidelines were met by 52% of the intervention group. In the intervention group, 28% of pregnant women gained more weight than the IOM guidelines, but this ratio was higher (95.8%) in the control group. Additionally, by 6-8 week of postpartum, revealed that intervention group women were significantly more likely to be at or below their early pregnancy weights as compared to control group (72% vs. 29.1%, p=0.003). 1.4. Conclusion: In our study, lifestyle counselling intervention had a statistically significant impact on the prevention of weight gain or postpartum weight loss in overweight or obese pregnant women. The observed effects are needed to be confirmed in further large randomized studies.