Weight-management interventions for pregnant or postpartum women.

Full Abstract

BACKGROUND:
A review of randomized controlled trials of weight-management interventions for pregnant or postpartum women was conducted to assess whether effective weight-management interventions exist for this population.

METHODS:
The MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts, and CINAHL databases were searched, as well as the reference lists of relevant publications. English-language articles published between January 1985 and August 2007 that used a randomized controlled trial study design and incorporated a weight-related outcome measure were reviewed. All potentially relevant articles were reviewed separately, and final selections were based on consensus reached through discussion.

RESULTS:
Three studies met the inclusion criteria, one conducted among pregnant women and two among postpartum women. The interventions addressed modifications in diet and exercise and included individual or group-counseling sessions combined with written and telephone correspondence or food and exercise diaries. In two studies, the weight-related outcome was significantly better in the intervention group than in the control group. The third study found a significant interaction between weight category and intervention group. In all studies, the refusal or attrition rates were high.

CONCLUSIONS:
While these studies indicate that interventions can help pregnant and postpartum women manage their weight, many questions remain unanswered. Several research gaps for weight-management interventions in this important population have been identified.

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Author information

Author/s: Kuhlmann, Anne K Sebert (AK); Dietz, Patricia M (PM); Galavotti, Christine (C); England, Lucinda J (LJ);

Affiliation: Axiom Resource Management, Falls Church, Virginia, USA.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Review

Journal: American journal of preventive medicine (Am J Prev Med), published in Netherlands. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Jun; vol 34 (issue 6) : pp 523-8

Dates: Created 2008/05/12; Completed 2008/08/01;

PMID: 18471590, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Body Mass Index
Counseling
Diet
Exercise
Female
Humans

Humans
Postpartum Period
Pregnancy
Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
Weight Gain
Weight Loss

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