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Clinical Trial
. 2023 Aug 30;15(17):3805.
doi: 10.3390/nu15173805.

Maternal Obesity and Patterns in Postnatal Diet, Physical Activity and Weight among a Highly Deprived Population in the UK: The GLOWING Pilot Trial

Nicola Heslehurst  1 , Emer Cullen  1 , Angela C Flynn  2 , Chloe Briggs  1 , Lewis Smart  1 , Judith Rankin  1 , Elaine McColl  1 , Falko F Sniehotta  1 , Catherine McParlin  1
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Maternal Obesity and Patterns in Postnatal Diet, Physical Activity and Weight among a Highly Deprived Population in the UK: The GLOWING Pilot Trial

Nicola Heslehurst et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Preconception obesity is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes and deprivation. The postnatal period provides an opportunity for preconception intervention. There is a lack of published postnatal behaviour and weight data to inform intervention needs. Secondary analysis of the GLOWING study explored postnatal diet, physical activity (PA) and weight among women living with obesity in deprivation. Thirty-nine women completed food frequency and PA questionnaires and provided weight measurement(s) between 3-12 months postnatal. Women's diet and PA fell short of national guidelines, especially for fruit/vegetables (median 1.6-2.0 portions/day) and oily fish (0-4 g/day). PA was predominantly light intensity. Patterns in weight change across time points indicated postnatal weight loss compared with 1st (median -0.8 to -2.3 kg) and 3rd-trimester weights (-9.0 to -11.6 kg). Weight loss was higher among women without excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) (-2.7 to -9.7 kg) than those with excessive GWG (2.3 to -1.8 kg), resulting in postnatal weight measurements lower than their 1st trimester. These pilot data suggest preconception interventions should commence in pregnancy with a focus on GWG, and postnatal women need early support to achieve guideline-recommendations for diet and PA. Further research in a larger population could inform preconception intervention strategies to tackle inequalities in maternal obesity and subsequent pregnancy outcomes.

Keywords: UK; deprivation; diet; obesity; physical activity; postnatal; pregnancy; weight.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the study’s design, in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data, in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Median Weight from Booking to 12 Months Postnatal. Booking (1st trimester): n = 35, median 99.0 kg (IQR 90.6, 106.5); 36 weeks gestation: n = 25, median 106.1 kg (IQR 100.8, 120); 3-months postnatal: n = 20, median 95.1 kg (IQR 87.8, 108.2); 6-months postnatal: n = 22, median 96.5 kg (IQR 89.1, 107.6); 9-months postnatal: n = 10, median 97.4 kg (IQR 91.8, 104.8); 12-months postnatal: n = 20, median 98.0 kg (IQR 87.8, 107.2).
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