Preventing Excessive Weight Gain During Pregnancy Through Dietary and Lifestyle Counseling: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Interventions designed to limit gestational weight gain: a systematic review of theory and meta‐analysis of intervention components

“…Curiously, although dietary interventions were significantly more effective at limiting GWG than any other type of intervention, the two interventions identified as diet‐based did not contain any of the techniques that were reported in our moderator analysis to be present in more effective interventions. Furthermore, dietary interventions were only present in two of the four the most common behaviour change techniques outlined in our systematic analysis (provision of general information on the consequences of behaviour and behavioural goal setting); neither of these techniques were identified as effective through the moderator analysis.…”

“…) showed that the interventions were effective at limiting GWG, with the intervention groups gaining significantly less weight than the control groups (weighted mean difference = −1.54 kg, [95% confidence interval: −1.86, −1.21], P < 0.001). Seven of the studies showed significantly less weight gain in the intervention group , while the remaining studies had non‐significant differences. A high level of heterogeneity between trials was reported (χ 2 [21] = 111.06, I 2 = 86%).…”

“… Of the papers not reviewed by Gardner et al ., eight were published after their review , and five were not sourced by Gardner et al . ; two studies were possibly not detected because of delay in being added to the search databases , two studies were designed to address perinatal outcomes rather than GWG specifically; however, we included them because GWG was a primary outcome , and one study was not eligible to be included in Gardner et al . 's review according to their selection criteria (was not a physical activity or dietary intervention) .…”

“…When techniques were broken down systematically, many studies were effective in only a subgroup of the sampled population. When provision of general information on the consequences of behaviour was given, 13 of 16 interventions reported a positive intervention effect , with two in a normal‐weight subgroup only , and one each in an overweight and low‐income subgroup only . Behavioural goal setting was present in 16 interventions, of which 12 reported positive GWG effects , including two in a normal‐weight subgroup , and one in a low‐income subgroup .…”

Practitioner Advice and Gestational Weight Gain

“…These findings are clinically important, as both weight gain advice and patient knowledge have been associated with actual weight gain outcomes in prior research, 14 and interventions targeting gestational weight gain goals have met with some success. [38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46] Both weight gain goals and practitioner advice are modifiable. Given the increasing recognition that appropriate levels of weight gain during pregnancy are important for maternal and infant outcomes as well as for future obesity and weight gain, our study suggests several changes that could be made to achieve healthier weight gains, especially among those who are overweight or obese.…”