Targeting Pregnancy-related Weight Gain to Reduce Disparities in Obesity

Black women are in particular need for obesity prevention and treatment. The childbearing period represents a critical life stage of heightened vulnerability for new or persistent obesity, especially among Black women, who retain 2-3 times more weight after pregnancy than White women. Pregnancy weight gain is the strongest identified risk factor for retaining a substantial amount of weight after pregnancy, yet few published interventions have been effective in reducing excessive weight gain in pregnancy, particularly among low-income Black mothers.

The proposed research aims to meets the needs of low-income, Black mothers by developing a novel pregnancy intervention that 1) focuses solely on Black women, 2) incorporates Black mothers' information needs, values, and social context, and 3) uses technology to facilitate participant engagement.

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

• 1. 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 participation in the study
• Gastrointestinal Disorders (gallbladder disease, Crohn's disease, etc)
• Previous weight loss surgery
• History of bulimia or anorexia