Helping Moms to be Healthy After Baby
Helping Moms to be Healthy After Baby
Low-income and minority women are at increased risk for postpartum weight retention (i.e.
 retaining weight after pregnancy) and consequent persistent obesity. Women who are obese
 pre-pregnancy are 3-5 times more likely to gain weight, rather than lose weight, in the
 postpartum period than non-obese women. Aims for this pilot study are listed below:

 Aim 1: To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a multi-component novel weight loss
 intervention delivered in a WIC setting to a population of low-income, predominantly
 racial/ethnic minority, obese, postpartum women.

 Aim 2: To evaluate differences in weight change, diet, physical activity, self-efficacy,
 readiness to change, motivations to eat between intervention and control participants to
 determine preliminary intervention efficacy over a 12-week period.
Low-income and minority women are at increased risk for postpartum weight retention (i.e.
 retaining weight after pregnancy) and consequent persistent obesity. Women who are obese
 pre-pregnancy are 3-5 times more likely to gain weight, rather than lose weight, in the
 postpartum period than non-obese women.

 Obesity science supports that weight loss interventions should be multi-component with
 regular points of contact. Building upon this, we have designed a multi-component
 intervention that considers the demands on women in the postpartum period and utilizes
 technology for both provider decision support and for virtual contact with participants. The
 intervention will address diet, physical activity, and social support through the use of
 in-person meetings with WIC staff, text messaging, phone coaching, self-monitoring, and
 Facebook.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Adult woman (≥18 and <50 years old).

 -  Enrolled in WIC or with an infant enrolled in WIC.

 -  3-12 months postpartum.

 -  A pre-pregnancy BMI of 25 - 40 kg/m2 (based on self-reported height and weight prior
 to pregnancy).

 -  Postpartum body mass index between 25 and 50 kg/m2.

 -  English- and/or Spanish-speaking.

 -  Owns a mobile phone with texting functionality in order to receive texts during the
 trial.

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Health conditions impacting weight or ability to participate in a weight loss trial.

 -  Pregnancy or planned pregnancy in next 5 months.

 -  Any health problems or undergoing any treatments that might interfere with what
 participant eats or her ability to exercise.

 -  Medical provider recommendation to avoid exercise.

 -  Plans to be in a different geographic area within the next 5 months.

 -  Plans to stop coming to Aurora WIC in the next 5 months.

 -  Unable to give informed consent.

 -  Not able to read and understand English or Spanish at an 8th grade level.

 -  Not willing to create a Facebook account if they do not already have one.

 -  Asked to follow-up in < 3 months at most recent WIC visit.