Lifestyle Intervention Forever: Healthy Weight for Pregnancy and Birth (Pilot Study)

Gaining too much weight in pregnancy is associated with adverse pregnancy complications and can have a long-term impact on maternal and offspring health, including increased risk for obesity and metabolic disease. Preventing excessive gestational weight gain could reduce adverse pregnancy outcomes and improve long-term health of mothers and offspring. Thirty obese (BMI ≥30) pregnant women will be recruited for this pilot study and randomly assigned to the Lifestyle Intervention ForEver (LIFE) program or routine care (RC). Participants will be enrolled before 18 weeks gestation and will be followed until 12 weeks after delivery. Women in the LIFE program will be given guidance on healthy eating and exercise at their regularly scheduled obstetric visits. To increase adherence to the program, a contingency management (CM) intervention offering incentives will be used to establish and maintain healthy nutrition and physical activity habits, working towards the goal of restricted weight gain (± 10lb) during their pregnancy. Three study testing visits will be scheduled for all participants: at study entry, 34-36 weeks gestation, and 12 weeks after delivering. Primary outcomes include adherence to the LIFE program, weight change in pregnancy and postpartum, and objective measures of maternal and offspring health.