Barbara E. Ainsworth

Interventions for Weight Management in Postpartum Women

OBJECTIVE To report the results of a comprehensive review of published intervention studies to identify the best evidence available for guiding weight management interventions in postpartum women. DATA SOURCES Electronic searches were conducted of three electronic databases: Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature; Medline; and the Science Citation Index, Expanded, in the Web of Science from 1994 to May 2007. Keyword searches were conducted using the terms obesity, obese, overweight, postpartum, pregnancy weight, and weight management in postpartum women. STUDY SELECTION Six studies were selected that met the inclusion criteria of testing interventions and one that reported preintervention planning and targeted a weight management intervention for postpartum women. DATA EXTRACTION All six interventions showed significant impact with diet and exercise or some combination on body composition in the targeted sample of women. DATA SYNTHESIS The strengths of previous studies include an emphasis on precision in outcome measures and experimental conditions; limitations were that the theoretical basis for the interventions was frequently omitted and limited attention given to the cultural, social, and contextual factors established in descriptive research. CONCLUSIONS Interventions need to target women early in their childbearing years to have the most significant long-term impact.

Overweight and obesity in postpartum Hispanic women.

Overweight and obesity vary in prevalence among particular groups, and are especially problematic for childbearing Hispanic women. The complex interaction between physical changes associated with pregnancy, role changes accompanying birth, and family and cultural values related to childbearing are superimposed upon the underlying mechanisms that create or perpetuate obesity. In this article we review biological and behavioral research on obesity in postpartum Hispanic women to identify critical components for intervention studies focused on weight management. Recommendations are offered for health care providers and researchers.