Lifestyle Intervention, Weight Gain During Pregnancy, Research Paper Example

Abstract

The issue of gaining a lot of weight when pregnant has been a healthiness issue because it has led to an increase in most chronic diseases. Therefore, there is a need to put several practices and interventions to create awareness of dietary patterns and other physical activities that expectant mothers can follow to reduce the impacts of unnecessary weight gain. Several studies have been carried to determine the effects of lifestyle intervention that sometimes come with added physical exercises and others without (Chauhan, 2017). People have different opinions about above-normal weight and respond differently to lifestyle intervention programs. To analyze this hypothesis, a study was done to examine pregnant women and come up with the best control measure.

The objective of this study is evaluating and weighing the effects of different lifestyles related to weightiness gain during gestation. It analyzes the various methods and programs that can be used to control unnecessary weight gain through pregnancy. The study is expected to give a result that shows which method or program for intervention is the best. There was a group of 100 pregnant women who were involved in the study who were above eight weeks pregnant, and 90 of them completed the program successfully (“Metabolic Tracking and Weight Gain During Pregnancy,” 2019). These women were involved in several exercises three days in a week up to the 36^th week of their gestation. After that, they also answered a questionnaire about their daily food intake (Nho, 2017). The weight gain was then compared to their corresponding BMI. Some women did regular exercises, while others just observed their diet without doing the exercises. The data collected will be used to analyze which method works best. Is it having exercise sessions or just controlling the food intake or both?

Keywords: lifestyle, Weight gain, Intervention, control, pregnancy.

Introduction

Adding unnecessary weight through pregnancy has shown an increase in the risks to the mother and the unborn baby if it is not controlled. It brings several complications during the gestation period and during delivery. There are also chances that excessive weight gain can cause future obesity, cardiovascular complications, and diabetes (Daundasekara et al., 2020). These complications mage the Institute of Medicine to provide guidelines on lifestyle intervention that can control weight gain during pregnancy. Research shows that more than half of women in the United States who are in the childbearing age are already overweight, and others are obese. Pregnancy has provided an opportunity to help determine the planned lifestyle plans to reduce the increasing during pregnancy that can bring future benefits to both the mother and the kid.

There have been publishing during the last decade that show different strategies that have been used to limit the gestational weight increase. Those people who are already weighty or the obese are said to be the best target group for lifestyle intervention because they have higher chances of having extreme gestational weight increase and postpartum maintenance of that weight (Goldstein et al., 2016). However, we still need some further research to identify the best and more effective strategies for pregnancy weight gain control. Lifestyle intervention targets the diet, physical exercises, and other behavioral strategies that pregnant women can use to reduce weight gain. Most studies emphasize on promoting a healthy gaining of weight throughout the pregnancy to all women because it is imperative to their health (Eng et al., 2020). There is also a need for all healthcare professionals to educate expectant mothers on the importance of nutrition, maintaining a healthy diet, and having regular physical exercises to uphold their health profile.

Literature Review

Over the last ten years, there has been a lot of studies published regarding findings on women who became overweight or obese during their pregnancy period. There are both qualitative and quantitative studies presented on lifestyle interventions that explore some views from healthcare professionals and experiences from women (Liu et al., 2015). The study is focusing more on the effects of gestational overweight gaining of women who had an average body mass index before they got pregnant. It involves research done from different countries and various healthcare settings.

Public health perspective

The public has expressed how extreme weight increase through pregnancy gives a problem and burden to the woman and their family members. Family members will have to give extra care to the overweight woman; hence it might interfere with their schedule (Ronnberg et al., 2016). In most cases, children born by overweight or obese mothers are put to a risk of having extra birthweight, have high BMI and high blood pressure, which is very risky. There is a need to deal with weight management throughout and even after gestation.

Supporting women of reproductive age to manage their weight

There is a controversial issue on how to help those who at their reproductive age to control their weight to avoid problems associated with gestational overweight gain. Suggestions show that this is high to support them to do this as family members and friends. In the United Kingdom, there have been proposals that should be weighed and advised at every antenatal visitation (Gesell et al., 2015). Although there have several challenges in supporting and providing the appropriate pregnancy care to overweight patients, there are still opportunities to assist them in managing their weight.

Methods

Participants

This study will involve the recruitment of 100 pregnant women who are in their early stages of pregnancy. These numbers will be divided into two groups. One group with do regular exercises three times a week and be allowed to follow their usual diet, and another group will do training and observe a controlled healthy diet.

Measures and Data Collection

The participants will be recruited from several different ongoing prenatal classes and community clinics. This will be through posters and newspaper advertisements for this study. There will also be some questionnaires issued to them for data analyzation. Some of the questions to be answered will be where the participants live, how their housing situation is, what they involve in their daily nutrition, how many times they exercise in a week, and how frequently they check their weight gain, among others. These questions will be put on a scale of 5, where 1 will be the lowest score.

Data Analysis

The data collected will be used to analyze the results of the two groups involved. It will be analyzed using different tools like R software packages or SPPS. There will be a baseline for the characteristics and lifestyle factors of all the participants. The results will be put into percentages showing the effects of excessive weight gain to participants and those who did not gain a lot of weight (Babbie, 2016). The results will then be compared to the diet and regular exercise measures that had been put to manage weight among the participants. Finally, the results will be compared to come up with the best lifestyle intervention method to control overweight gain during pregnancy.

Conclusion

Lifestyle intervention has shown to have a very significant impact on expectant mothers. It is also essential to those who are wanting to conceive. Evidence gives suggestions of the need to observe antenatal dietary control and do regular physical exercises to avoid complications associated with maternal weight gain. Expectant mothers who end up being overweight have shown to put a significant risk not only to themselves but also to their unborn babies. Family members and friends to the expectant women are encouraged to support them to manage their weight by encouraging them to stick to a healthy diet and do physical exercises.

Critique

One of the study limitations is monitoring both groups closely to come up with accurate results. Some participants not showing up consistently at the required days for the physical exercises is also a weakness. It is not easy to control a diet where, at the end of the day, everyone can go back to their homes and feed themselves. However, the study can still utilize the questionnaires and a few genuine participants to get actual results.

Ethical considerations

Pregnant women are referred to as a unique group of people who are expected to be given special care and protection during any research project. Therefore, it means that the research must be carried on with a lot of precautions, especially during the regular exercises, and ensure the safety of all the participants. Those who miss the training sessions must be handled softly and with the right language to make them not quit during the study due to stress that comes with pregnancy and mood changes.

References

Babbie, E. R. (2016). The practice of social research. Boston, MA: South-Western Chauhan, D. (2017). Effects of Nutritional Intervention on Weight Gain During Pregnancy. International Journal Of Trend In Scientific Research And Development, Volume-1(Issue-5), 178-183. https://doi.org/10.31142/ijtsrd2261

Daundasekara, S., Arlinghaus, K., & Johnston, C. (2020). Quality of Life: The Primary Goal of Lifestyle Intervention. American Journal Of Lifestyle Medicine, 155982762090730. https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827620907309

Eng, S., Donoghue, C., Khun, T., & Szmodis, W. (2020). Critical Consciousness of Food Systems as a Potential Lifestyle Intervention on Health Issues. American Journal Of Lifestyle Medicine, 155982762090783. https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827620907833

Goldstein, R., Thangaratinam, S., Boyle, J., & Teede, H. (2016). Excess Gestational Weight Gain in Pregnancy and the Role of Lifestyle Intervention. Seminars In Reproductive Medicine, 34(02), e14-e21. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0036-1583531

Gesell, S., Katula, J., Strickland, C., & Vitolins, M. (2015). Feasibility and Initial Efficacy Evaluation of a Community-Based Cognitive-Behavioural Lifestyle Intervention to Prevent Excessive Weight Gain During Pregnancy in Latina Women. Maternal And Child Health Journal, 19(8), 1842-1852. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-015-1698-x

Hagobian, T., Phelan, S., Gorin, A., Phipps, M., Abrams, B., & Wing, R. (2015). Effects of maternal lifestyle intervention during pregnancy on untreated partner weight: Results from fit for the delivery study. Obesity, 24(1), 23-25. https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.21368

Liu, J., Wilcox, S., Whitaker, K., Blake, C., & Addy, C. (2015). Preventing Excessive Weight Gain During Pregnancy and Promoting Postpartum Weight Loss: A Pilot Lifestyle Intervention for Overweight and Obese African American Women. Maternal And Child Health Journal, 19(4), 840-849. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-014-1582-0

Metabolic Tracking and Weight Gain During Pregnancy. (2019). https://doi.org/10.31525/ct1-nct04131023

Nho, J. (2017). Lifestyle Intervention for Obese Women. Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 7(2), 51-54. https://doi.org/10.15280/jlm.2017.7.2.51

Ronnberg, A., Ostlund, I., Fadl, H., Gottvall, T., & Nilsson, K. (2016). Intervention During Pregnancy to Reduce Excessive Gestational Weight Gain. Obstetric Anesthesia Digest, 36(1), 42. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.aoa.0000479520.26780.f5