Evolution of Postpartum Weight and Body Composition after Excessive Gestational Weight Gain: The Role of Lifestyle Behaviors—Data from the INTER-ACT Control Group

Abstract

Women with excessive gestational weight gain are at increased risk of postpartum weight retention and potentially also unfavorable body composition. Insight into the lifestyle behaviors that play a role in the evolution of postpartum weight and body composition among these women could aid identification of those at highest risk of long-term adverse outcomes. This secondary analysis of the INTER-ACT randomized controlled trial investigates control group data only (n = 524). The evolution of weight retention, percentage loss of gestational weight gain, fat percentage, waist circumference, and associated lifestyle behaviors between 6 weeks and 12 months postpartum were assessed using mixed model analyses. At six weeks postpartum, every sedentary hour was associated with 0.1% higher fat percentage (P = 0.01), and a higher emotional eating score was associated with 0.2% higher fat percentage (P < 0.001) and 0.3 cm higher waist circumference (P < 0.001). Increase in emotional eating score between 6 weeks and 6 months postpartum was associated with a 0.4 kg (P = 0.003) increase in postpartum weight retention from six months onwards. Among women with overweight, an increase in the uncontrolled eating score between 6 weeks and 6 months postpartum was associated with a 0.3 kg higher postpartum weight retention (P = 0.04), and 0.3% higher fat percentage (P = 0.006) from six months onwards. In conclusion, sedentary and eating behaviors play important roles in postpartum weight and body composition of women with excessive gestational weight gain and should therefore be incorporated as focal points in lifestyle interventions for this population.

Changes in maternal and paternal body composition during the transition to parenthood (TRANSPARENTS)

“…Objective measurements exclude recall and social desirability bias and increase measurement accuracy. We had very low dropout rates within our sample (9.9% women and 11.2% men at PP6M) compared with other longitudinal studies in similar populations [46][47][48]. Moreover, dropout analyses showed no significant differences between dropout and retention group.…”

“…Another longitudinal study focusing on postpartum weight retention indeed showed a decrease in maternal BMI, body fat percentage, and waist circumference between 6 months and 12 months after childbirth [48]. For men, there is no clear visual trend and further studies…”

“…Visual inspection showed a downward trend for BC indicators of women. Another longitudinal study focusing on postpartum weight retention indeed showed a decrease in maternal BMI, body fat percentage, and waist circumference between 6 months and 12 months after childbirth [48]. For men, there is no clear visual trend and further studies are needed to investigate in which direction paternal BC indicators evolve in the longer term.…”

Mental health after childbirth and the impact on postpartum weight retention and body composition. Data from the INTER‐ACT randomized controlled trial

“…Potential predictors tested in the models were sSTAI‐6, EPDS, EDS‐3A, SOC‐13, QoL and GMDS. We adjusted for those explanatory variables that were associated to the respective outcome variables as in the paper of Bijlholt et al (2021) 39 : pre‐pregnancy BMI, excessive kilograms gestational weight gain, sex of the infant, mother started exclusive breastfeeding or not, depression in the past and multiparity. For each of the six mental health explanatory variables, the interaction term with BMI class was considered, as was the interaction term with time.…”

“…(2021) 39 : pre-pregnancy BMI, excessive kilograms gestational weight gain, sex of the infant, mother started exclusive breastfeeding or not, depression in the past and multiparity. For each of the six mental health explanatory variables, the interaction term with BMI class was considered, as was the interaction term with time.…”