Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #115319

Jaspreet Chowdhary, MPH¹, Rebecca Brouwer, MS¹, Geeta Swamy, MD², Lori Carter-edwards, PhD¹, Lori Bastian, MD, MPH³, Cheryl Lovelady, PhD⁴, Miriam Morey, PhD⁵, and truls Ostbye, MD, PhD¹. (1) Community and Family Medicine, Duke University, Box 2914, Room 349 Hanes House, Durham, NC 27710, 919-668-3962, chowd001@mc.duke.edu, (2) OB/GYN - Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Box 3967 Med Ctr, Durham, NC 27710, (3) Women Veterans Center, VAMC Durham, 508 Fulton Street, HSR&D, Bldg. 16, Rm. 72, Durham, NC 27705, (4) University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 312 Stone Building, P.O. Box 26170, Greensboro, NC 27402, (5) Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, N3007 GRECC Bldg, VAMC, 508 Fulton St., Durham, NC 27705

The Active Mothers Postpartum (AMP) study is a two-arm, randomized trial investigating whether the postpartum period is a teachable moment for promoting weight loss in overweight women. The intervention leverages naturally-occurring weight and lifestyle changes in the postpartum period to encourage increased physical activity and adoption of a healthy diet among overweight and obese women. Three weeks after delivery, women are identified from clinic charts and screened for eligibility via telephone. Preliminary findings indicate that one-third (n=265; 37%) of women from participating clinics had a BMI >25 pre-pregnancy, were over eighteen, spoke English, and are therefore eligible for inclusion. The sample of eligible women (n=265) is: 48% Black, 54% < 30 years , 29% primiparous, 48% obese (BMI >30). Bivarate analysis shows no statistically significant relationship between willingness to participate and race, age, parity or BMI. Overall, 53 women (20%) have consented to participate thus far. White women are more likely (24%) than black women (18%) to participate. Older women are more likely (22%) to participate than younger women (18%). Multiparous women are more likely (22%) to participate than primiparious (15%). Obese women (23%) are more likely than overweight women (17%) to participate. These preliminary findings provide a profile of likely to participants and helps target recruitment for this and other weight loss studies in this population.

Learning Objectives:

• 1. Understand why the postpartum period may be a teachable moment for weight loss intervention.
• 2. Be familiar with the rationale for and design of Active Mothers Postpartum, an intervention study addressing overweight and obesity postpartum through healthy eating and physical activity.
• 3. Recognize characteristics that may be associated with participation in a postpartum weight loss study (namely, age, race, parity, and BMI).

Keywords: Pregnancy, Weight Management

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.