Optimising weight gain in pregnancy: key challenges and solutions for maternal obesity prevention

Briony Hill; Helen Skouteris; Helena Teede; Melissa Savaglio; Cheryce Harrison

doi:10.1071/phrp3232222

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

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Optimising weight gain in pregnancy: key challenges and solutions for maternal obesity prevention

Briony Hill ^A , Helen Skouteris ^A ^B , Helena Teede ^C ^D , Melissa Savaglio ^A and Cheryce Harrison ^E ^D ^*

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Health and Social Care Unit, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

^B School of Business, Warwick University, Coventry, United Kingdom

^C Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

^D Diabetes and Vascular Research, Monash Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

^E Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne VIC, Australia

^* Correspondence to: cheryce.harrison@monash.edu

Public Health Research and Practice 32, e3232222 https://doi.org/10.17061/phrp3232222

Published: 12 October 2022

2022 © Hill et al. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence, which allows others to redistribute, adapt and share this work non-commercially provided they attribute the work and any adapted version of it is distributed under the same Creative Commons licence terms.

Abstract

Pregnancy is a high-risk period for excess gestational weight gain and subsequent obesity development. Antenatal lifestyle interventions are prioritised to optimise weight, with current evidence demonstrating efficacy and associated reduction in risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. Yet, evidence to guide the field from efficacy-based to implementation research within real-world settings is lacking, and several key challenges remain. Here, we discuss key considerations to support the implementation of accessible, relevant, effective, and low-cost lifestyle interventions in routine pregnancy care. This includes identifying what components of lifestyle interventions are most effective, with pragmatic guidance on how to conduct implementation research, improving rigour in reporting to ensure learnings from implementation are captured, and recognising and addressing the socioecological aspects of obesity prevention, including supporting women living with socioeconomic disadvantage and reducing weight stigma.