The INTER-ACT E-Health Supported Lifestyle Intervention Improves Postpartum Food Intake and Eating Behavior, but Not Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior-A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Margriet Bijlholt,Annick Bogaerts,Lieveke Ameye,Roland Devlieger,Hanne Van Uytsel

doi:10.3390/nu13041287

Margriet Bijlholt, Annick Bogaerts + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13041287

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Journal: Nutrients	Publication Date: Apr 14, 2021
Citations: 14	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Antwerp, KU Leuven, University of Plymouth

Abstract

Unhealthy postpartum lifestyle is related to long-term adverse psychological, metabolic and cardiovascular health outcomes as well as to complications in the next pregnancy. Especially women with preceding excessive gestational weight gain are at risk. This paper aims to evaluate the effect of the postpartum phase of the INTER-ACT randomized controlled trial (RCT) on food intake, eating behavior, physical activity and sedentary time at the end of the intervention (six months postpartum) and at six-months follow-up (12 months postpartum). The study population comprised women with excessive gestational weight gain in the preceding pregnancy. The lifestyle intervention combined a smartphone application with four face-to-face coaching sessions between six weeks and six months postpartum. After the intervention, restrained eating score was 1 point higher (95% CI 0.5, 1.5; p < 0.001), uncontrolled eating score was 1 point lower (95% CI −1.9, −0.2; p = 0.02) and energy intake was 69 kcal lower (95% CI −123, −15; p = 0.01) in the intervention group compared to the control group. The differences were no longer statistically significant at follow-up. No significant effects on emotional eating, physical activity and sedentary behavior were found. In conclusion, the postpartum phase of the INTER-ACT RCT was effective in improving nutrition-related outcomes, however, these improvements could not be sustained at follow-up. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02989142.

Highlights

Introduction published maps and institutional affilUnhealthy lifestyle patterns in the postpartum period are related to adverse psychological, metabolic, and cardiovascular health outcomes in later life for both the mother as well as the child [1,2,3,4,5]
Excessive gestational weight gain is defined by the National Academy of Medicine as >9 kg gestational weight gain in mothers with an obese BMI at start pregnancy, >11.5 kg in mothers with overweight at start, and >16 kg in mothers with a normal body–mass index (BMI) at the start of pregnancy [10]
The current paper aims to evaluate whether the postpartum phase of the INTER-ACT randomized controlled trial (RCT) is effective in improving lifestyle measures, including food intake, eating behavior, physical activity and sedentary time, at the end of the intervention and at six months follow-up

Summary

Introduction

Unhealthy lifestyle patterns in the postpartum period are related to adverse psychological, metabolic, and cardiovascular health outcomes in later life for both the mother as well as the child [1,2,3,4,5]. Postpartum weight retention is a potential consequence of unfavorable lifestyle and, in turn, contributes to an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes in a subsequent pregnancy [2,6,7,8]. Women who had excessive weight gain in the preceding pregnancy are at increased risk of postpartum weight retention and of complications in the pregnancy [9]. Excessive gestational weight gain is a common condition with a prevalence of approximately 35% in Belgian pregnant women and up to 50% in the United States [9,11,12]. Excessive gestational weight gain is a common condition with a prevalence of approximately 35% in Belgian pregnant women and up to 50% in the United States [9,11,12]. iations.

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