Healthy4Baby: Preventing Postpartum Weight Retention Among Low-Income, Black Women

Black women are in particular need for obesity prevention and treatment. Targeting the childbearing period has the potential to slow the accumulation of weight gain among this high risk group. Previous interventions to prevent postpartum weight retention among Blacks are sparse and limited by poor intervention adherence, high attrition, and failure to include pregnancy in the study design. The proposed research aims to overcome these shortcomings by developing an intervention that 1) focuses solely on Black women, 2) incorporates Black mothers' information needs, values, and social context, 3) uses technology to facilitate participant engagement, and 4) includes both the pregnancy and postpartum periods.

Inclusion criteria

• Pregnant African-American women at least 18 years of age
• BMI at recruitment between 25.0-44.9 kg/m2
• Singleton pregnancy
• Gestational age of ≤ 20 weeks as determined by last menstrual period
• Plan to carry the pregnancy to term and keep the baby
• Own a cell phone with a text messaging plan
• Member of Facebook social networking site
• Able to participate in physical activity
• Participants must be willing to comply with all study-related procedures

Exclusion criteria

• BMI ≤ 24.9 or ≥ 45.0
• Uncontrolled hypertension (systolic blood pressure > 160 or diastolic blood pressure > 95 mmHg). Participants with controlled hypertension on medication for at least three months are allowable.
• Known atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease
• Known congestive heart failure
• Known diabetes mellitus (type 1 or type 2)
• Uncontrolled thyroid disease. Participants with controlled thyroid disease on medication for at least three months are allowable.
• Known cancer
• Any major active rheumatologic, pulmonary, hepatic, dermatologic disease or inflammatory condition requiring steroids or immune modulating medications
• History of testing HIV positive
• Current smoker or tobacco user
• Current or recent history (past 6 months) of drug or alcohol abuse or dependence
• Participation in any weight control or investigational drug study within 6 weeks of screening
• Serious or unstable medical or psychological conditions that, in the opinion of the investigator, would compromise the subject's safety for successful study participation
• Gastrointestinal Disorders (gallbladder disease, Crohn's disease, etc)
• Previous weight loss surgery
• History of bulimia or anorexia