Thesis--Auburn University, 2008. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 179-197).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2004. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 138-145).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 54-59).

Thesis (M.S.)--Brigham Young University. Dept. of Exercise Sciences, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2006. / Description based on contents viewed Jan. 29, 2007; title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references (p. 70-78).

<p>ABSTRACT</p><p>Overweight and obesity is an increasing problem worldwide although high-income countries take a leed. High BMI during pregnancy and delivery constitute to many risks for both the mother and her outcome. Intervention programmes with the purpose to get the pregnant women to eat healthier and to excercise more are now working out in many different shapes. The effect of these activities varies. The aim of this study was to investigate if interventions during pregnancy, with women who’s BMI are 25 or more, affects health of the mother and her expected child, delivery outcome and self estimated health. The design of this study was quantitative. A total of 163 women participated in this study who took place i two cities in Sweden. All of the women gave birth at the same hospital. 96 of the women participated in the intervention group and 69 in the comparison group. Data was analyzed using SPSS. The results shows that most of the women (60 percent), choose not to participate in water aerobics. The results of the women who used a stepcounter showed that the women were more active during early pregnancy than later on. Results showed that there was a significantly increased risk for complications during delivery if the women had gained more than seven kilograms during pregnancy. Overweight women who had a weight gain of more than seven kilograms also had an increased risk for delivering large babies (more than 4000 gram), compared with those who gained less. There were no difference in self estimated health between the groups. The results of the study shows that a weight gain less than eight kilograms is positively associated with less complications during pregnancy. Women should be helped to get motivated to live a healthy and active life during pregnancy. What motivates pregnant women towards healthier living needs to be examined further.</p>

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2008. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 84-90). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of West Florida, 2005. / Title from title page of source document. Document formatted into pages; contains 186 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Fetal exposure to an intrauterine environment affected by maternal obesity and excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) pose several adverse short- and long-term health risks to infants. Excessive GWG and maternal obesity are of high priority to public health across many nations. Improving maternal and child health can be achieved by encouraging women to meet Institute of Medicine (IOM) weight gain recommendations, sound clinical guidance, and other forms of support. Another means of helping women adhere to weight gain guidelines is by making use of the near ubiquitous nature of mobile technology and promoting healthy pregnancies through reliable mobile health (mHealth) applications (apps). The objective of the first study of this thesis was to examine the associations between psychosocial factors and achieving IOM-recommended weight gain during pregnancy. Cross-sectional data were collected from pregnant and postpartum women who responded to a validated questionnaire, the Electronic Maternal health survey. Multiple linear logistic regression analyses were used to determine correlates associated with meeting IOM guidelines. The objective of the second study was to conduct a preliminary exploration of women’s attitudes towards an evidence-based, mHealth app, SmartMoms Canada, as a valid source of pregnancy-related information and its ability to offer physical activity, nutrition, and lifestyle support. Focus groups were organized to assess women’s attitudes towards the app and inductive thematic content analysis was utilized to interpret focus group data. It was found that self-efficacy and perceived controllability of behaviours are important factors contributing to whether women meet IOM weight gain recommendations. Further, pregnant women are quite receptive to mHealth technology and positively viewed the future prospective of SmartMoms Canada as a means of promoting overall maternal health. Combined, these findings will contribute to our understanding of how to best improve maternal-fetal health outcomes in the near future.

The present study used a discounting task with differing contextual variables to examine how variables effect discounting between studies and future health related behaviors. Thirty nine participants completed two discounting questionnaires, each included hypothetical food choices paired with a weight loss or stable weight. Participants were instructed to complete each survey based on either their current weight or a gain of 75 pounds, and each survey included two identical hypothetical menu options. One menu incorporated low calorie foods, while the other incorporated moderately healthy foods, and participants were instructed to select the menu they preferred based on weight loss/no weight loss and hypothetical weight presented in instruction. Visual analysis of the results showed a difference in discounting across the conditions; participants appeared to be more impulsive at their current weight. At normal weight, visual analysis of the switch values show that the proportional value of the switch ranged from 1.0 at the lowest proportional delay level to .75 at proportional delay 1. In the hypothetical weight gain condition, this occurred at a level of .95 at the lowest proportional delay and .75 at delay 1. In a visual analysis of AUC comparisons, participants’ scores are higher in the 75 pound weight condition than the normal weight condition, and farther from 0 in the 75 pound weight condition.