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Supporting postpartum weight loss in women living in deprived communities: design implications for a randomised control trial

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 65, pages 952–958 (2011)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/Objectives:

Pregnancy is a life stage where excess weight gain may occur and the postpartum period is often characterised by weight retention. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the feasibility of undertaking a randomised controlled trial of a weight loss intervention (WeighWell) in postpartum women living in areas of social disadvantage.

Subjects/Methods:

The study aimed to recruit 60 women who were not pregnant, 6–18 months postpartum with a body mass index >25 kg/m2 living in areas of deprivation within Tayside, UK. Recruitment strategies focused on visits to community groups; writing directly to postpartum women living in areas of deprivation and primary care teams who covered the most deprived 15% of the population and advertising in community settings. The 12-week intervention used motivational interviewing techniques to promote an energy deficit diet and increased physical activity, delivered by three face-to-face consultations plus three structured telephone calls.

Results:

Of 142 women screened, 63 were eligible and 52 (83%) were recruited and randomised to an intervention (n=29) or comparison group (n=23). Over the 12-week intervention, body weight changed significantly by −1.6±2.0 kg in the intervention group compared with +0.2±2.2 kg in the comparison group, indicating the potential efficacy of the intervention. Loss to follow-up was 24% in the intervention group and 39% for the comparison group.

Conclusions:

The findings support the development of a definitive trial that embraces personalised recruitment strategies and the development of approaches to improve retention over a clinically relevant intervention period.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the financial support of the Medical Research Council (Ref GO701771), and National Health Service Research Scotland (NRS) through Tayside National Health Service, to carry out this work. We would like to thank Amy Gregor who assisted with recruitment and screening of participants and in the development of study materials and Margaret Robertson, the project lifestyle counsellor. They would also like to thank Professor Peter Howat, Director of the Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer Control at Curtin University, Australia for guidance in project design and assessment.

The WeighWell team

AS Anderson, Centre for Public Health Nutrition Research, University of Dundee; Rose Barbour, School of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Dundee; Robert Fraser, Section of Reproductive & Developmental Medicine, University of Sheffield; Alison Kirk, Department of Sport, Culture & the Arts, University of Strathclyde; Anne Ludbrook, Health Economics Research Unit, University of Aberdeen; Gary Mires, School of Medicine, University of Dundee; Andrew Symon, School of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Dundee; Joyce Thompson, Directorate of Public Health, Tayside National Health Service; Shaun Treweek, Tayside Clinical Trials Unit, University of Dundee; Brian Williams, Social Dimensions of Health Institute, University of Dundee.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Clinical and Population Sciences and Education, Centre for Public Health Nutrition Research, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK

    A M Craigie, M Macleod, K L Barton & A S Anderson

  2. Tayside Clinical Trials Unit, University of Dundee and NHS Tayside, Dundee, UK,

    S Treweek

  3. Division of Clinical and Population Science and Education, Quality, Safety and Informatics Research Group, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK

    S Treweek

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  1. A M Craigie
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  2. M Macleod
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  3. K L Barton
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  4. S Treweek
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  5. A S Anderson
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on behalf of the WeighWell team

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A S Anderson.

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The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Craigie, A., Macleod, M., Barton, K. et al. Supporting postpartum weight loss in women living in deprived communities: design implications for a randomised control trial. Eur J Clin Nutr 65, 952–958 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2011.56

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