Weight gain during pregnancy, relationships among body image, body weight standards, and attitudes toward weight gain were investigated. Weight gain recommendations, based on preconceptional weight status (PCWS) reflected current practices in prenatal care at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, Norfolk, VA, and provided a basis on which to categorize weight gain as inadequate, appropriate, and excess. Women who experienced excess weight gain (EWG) were compared to those who experienced appropriate weight gain (AWG) or inadequate weight gain (IWG) to identify their characteristics. Of the 138 women studied, 54 experienced EWG. Weight gain recommendations for overweight women were similar to those for normal weight women, 20-25% PCW. Obese women who lost weight or gained less than 15 pounds were identified with the inadequate weight gain group. / Master of Science

Background Excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) poses significant risk for maternal and neonatal health. Various guidelines have recommended healthy diets and enhancing physical activity during pregnancy to prevent excessive GWG. However, results of intervention studies are inconsistent in the developed countries, and there are no official guidelines and few interventions for GWG in China. This paper aims to review and synthesize relevant studies on diet and physical activity interventions to prevent excessive GWG so that practical suggestions can be provided to public health authorities in China. Methods This systematic review was performed using PubMed, Google and Google Scholar to search all relevant studies in English and randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated diet and physical activity interventions to limit excessive GWG up to May 2014. The quality of included studies was assessed using CONSORT statement and JADAD scale. Results Nine studies describing diet and physical activity interventions to prevent excessive GWG were incorporated in the systematic review. Overall, the contents of interventions were diverse, which consisted of one-to-one counselling, and community-based physical activity interventions. Weekly mailed newsletters and supportive telephone calls were used as assistive tools to remind pregnant women of limiting excessive GWG. Seven studies showed less weight gain in pregnant women receiving the intervention, of which four studies demonstrated a reduction in excessive GWG in women with varying body mass index (BMI) spanning the normal, overweight and obese categories, while three studies reported a reduction of excessive GWG only in normal weight women and obese women need to be paid attention in the future. Conclusions The effectiveness of diet and physical interventions to limit excessive GWG may not be confirmed because of limited quality or sample size of intervention studies. However, studies have demonstrated reduction of excessive GWG during pregnancy, in addition to persistent healthy behaviours following such interventions during pregnancy. Further meta-analyses of RCTs studies should be done to confirm the effectiveness of such interventions among Chinese women. / published_or_final_version / Public Health / Master / Master of Public Health

The interrelation among maternal dietary intake, pregravid weight, amount and pattern of gestational weight gain and cigarette smoking in influencing the balance between fetal growth and maternal postpartum weight retention was in investigated in 1,330 healthy participants in the PEI Nutritional Counselling Program. Among nonsmokers, gestational weight gain was the main predictor of postpartum weight retention and explained 65.3% of its variability, while explaining only 4.7% of infant birth weight variability. Women with higher postpartum weight retention gained more weight during pregnancy and most of the difference between higher and lower weight retention groups occurred in the first 20 weeks. When comparing infant size between smoking and nonsmoking mothers, birth weight increased linearly with maternal weight gain in all weight status groups except in overweight nonsmokers where birth weight reached a plateau at weight gains $>$17 kg. Among smokers, infant length increased at a higher rate with weight gain than nonsmokers. Although higher weight gains seemed to partially mitigate the effect of smoking on the risk of small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants, such risk remained $>$10% at elevated weight gains among underweight smokers. The effects of smoking in reducing maternal and infant weights were not mediated by lower energy intake, as smokers consumed more energy than nonsmokers after controlling for physical activity and pregravid weight. The independent relative risks of SGA infants due to maternal smoking, pregravid underweight and low weight gain, were 3.23, 1.80 and 1.72 respectively, implying that smoking has the greatest effect on SGA. Based on current smoking prevalence in Canada, the population etiologic fraction of SGA due to the direct effect of smoking is 30.8%; approximately twice that for maternal underweight or low weight gain. Efforts to increase infant birth weight through higher maternal weight gain would require impractically high ene

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship- between prenatal weight gain relative to initial weight and change in smoking habits relative to prepregnancy smoking habits on infant birth weight. The convenience sample was 100 women who had been prenatal clients at a clinic for low income women and who delivered term infants during a one year period. Women were selected who had term deliveries and were without medical problems during the pregnancy.Prepregnancy weight-for-height was determined using the 1959 Metropolitan Life Insurance Table. Weight gain throughout the pregnancy was charted on the appropriate graph. Changes in smoking habits during the pregnancy were evaluated verbally. Roy's Adaptation Model was the conceptual framework for this study. The physiological mode of this model depicts people as individuals who are constantly adapting to a changing environment. Procedures for the protection of human subjects were followed.The first research question illustrated that women who gained adequate weight and reduced or quit smoking had infants with higher birth weights. The second research question showed that, overall, women who quit or reduced the amount smoked early in pregnancy had infants with higher birth weights than women who quit or reduced later in pregnancy or-who did not change smoking habits. The third research question determined that nonsmokers had infants with higher birth weights than smokers.Women who smoke will have infants with lower birth weights than those that do not smoke. Women with inadequate weight gains during pregnancy are more likely to have infants: with lower birth weights than women with adequate weight gains. Health care providers must be able to relay, the risks of inadequate weight gain and smoking to pregnant women. / School of Nursing

The purpose of this study was to examine maternal and infant factors associated with body mass index (e.g., maternal weight gain, infant birth weight, infant feeding methods, and motor coordination) among obese pre-adolescents and adolescents aged 8-18 years enrolled in the Pediatric OverWeight Education and Research (POWER) program operated by Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, IN, between October 2008 and September 2011. POWER, a three-phase, 12-month multi-disciplinary program to reduce childhood obesity funded by Indiana University Health, enrolls obese children (Body Mass Index [BMI] greater than the 95th percentile for age and gender) through referrals from pediatricians throughout Indiana. Prior to the child’s initial visit, each family completes a comprehensive background and family history profile, approved by the Indiana University-Purdue University (IUPUI) Institutional Review Board, that includes questions related to the obese child’s motor skill development, infant feeding methods, maternal prenatal weight gain, and infant birth weight. Data related to these four categories collected during Phase 1 (12 weeks) was examined using date from 253 pre-adolescents (8-12 years of age), and 285 adolescents (13-18 years of age), to determine their impact on the subjects’ BMI. No relationship between a mother’s prenatal weight gain and the child’s BMI was seen. There was a significant correlation between infant birth weight and BMI in the pre-adolescent group. Breastfed subjects entered the POWER program at a lower BMI than non-breast fed subjects and had consistently lower BMIs throughout the program compared to the non-breastfed subjects. Differences in physical activity were observed between adolescents and pre-adolescents. Paired analysis indicated the POWER program was associated with a significant reduction in BMI overall, and among both age groups throughout Phase 1 of the program. Adolescents were especially successful in reducing their BMI compared to preadolescents. Further research is needed to identify the association of maternal and infant factors and BMI among obese children. / Department of Family and Consumer Sciences

No description available.

There is no abstract available for this thesis. / Department of Family and Consumer Sciences

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) and National Research Council (NRC) established guidelines for weight gain during pregnancy to maximize positive health outcomes for mothers and their offspring. However, in the US, about half of all pregnant women exceed these recommendations. Excessive weight gain during pregnancy is associated with various negative outcome for mothers and their children. Research in recent years has begun to explore the relationship between both diet quality and ultra-processed food (UPF) intake during pregnancy with gestational weight gain (GWG). However, research is scarce, especially pertaining to UPF intake and GWG. Additionally, there is no research which explores these relationships among Latina women living within the US. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationships between prenatal diet quality, measured with the Healthy Eating Index-2020 (HEI), and intake of UPF, based on the Nova classification system, with the adequacy of GWG among a predominantly Latina sample of adult pregnant women living within the US. Additionally, the association between social determinants of health with diet quality and with UPF intake were also explored. The study is a secondary-data analysis of data from a longitudinal study. The sample analyzed includes 118 pregnant women between the ages of 18-45 years old (mean = 29.9, SD = 6.1). Mean pre-pregnancy body mass index (pBMI) for the total sample was 25.8 kg/m2 (overweight). 67% of the sample identified as Hispanic/Latina. Overall, 22% of the sample were classified with inadequate GWG; 17% with adequate GWG; and 61% with excessive GWG. The mean total HEI score for the sample was 54.1 out of 100, where higher scores reflect higher diet quality and adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. There was a statistically significant difference across GWG groups (inadequate/adequate/excessive) in mean total HEI scores (p < .05). The adequate GWG group had the highest total HEI scores and the excessive GWG group had the lowest total HEI scores. Variables that were found to be univariately associated with excessive gestational weight gain included: average total HEI score, pBMI, ethnicity; education; and income (p < .05). A 1-point increase in mean total HEI scores was associated with a 5% lower chance of excessive GWG (p = .02). However, after adjustment for covariates (maternal age; pBMI; income; education; race and ethnicity), the association between average total HEI score and excessive gestational weight gain was attenuated and no longer statistically significant. There was a statistically significant difference across GWG groups (inadequate, adequate, or excessive) in their scores of two HEI components: Greens and Beans (p < .01); and Seafood and Plant Proteins (p < .01). The adequate GWG group had the highest scores and the excessive GWG group had the lowest scores in these HEI components. In simple logistic regressions of excessive GWG versus adequate GWG on HEI components, the Greens and Beans scores and the Seafood and Plant Protein scores were significantly associated with excessive GWG. After adjustment, the Greens and Beans scores and Seafood and Plant Proteins scores indicated strong estimated negative associations with excessive GWG, OR = 0.61, 〖 χ〗_1^2= 8.07, p < 0.01 and OR = 0.60, 〖 χ〗_1^2= 7.84, p < 0.01, respectively. A higher score on these components was associated with a lower risk of excessive GWG. The mean percentage of energy intake from ultra-processed foods (PEI-UPF) was 51.2%. There was no statistically significant difference in the PEI-UPF across GWG groups (inadequate, adequate, or excessive) and the PEI-UPF was not associated with odds of excessive GWG. However, the adequate GWG group had the lowest intake of PEI-UPF (49.2%) and the excessive GWG group had the highest intake of PEI-UPF (52.1%). Social determinants of health were not associated with the mean PEI-UPF, but results suggested a positive relationship between social support and total HEI scores (p = .08). Deeper analysis of the social support measure revealed a statistically significant relationship between the appraisal subscale of social support and HEI scores, Β = 0.13, F(1, 102) = 7.11 (p = 0.009). Overall, dietary intake during pregnancy may influence the adequacy of gestational weight gain. Achieving recommended intake of greens and beans, as well as seafood and plant proteins, may play a particularly important role in reducing the risk for excessive gestational weight gain. In addition, greater levels of social support, particularly access to another person who can offer advice and guidance with personal problems, may enhance diet quality during pregnancy.