Feasibility of using a peer coach to deliver a behavioral intervention for promoting postpartum weight loss in Black and Latina mothers.

Peer coaching may provide a culturally relevant and potentially scalable approach for delivering postpartum obesity treatment. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility of peer coaching to promote postpartum weight loss among ethnic minority women with obesity. This pilot study was a prospective, parallel-arm, randomized controlled trial. Twenty-two obese, Black or Latina mothers ≤6 months postpartum were recruited from the Philadelphia Special Supplemental Nutrition Education Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and randomly assigned to either: (a) a peer-led weight loss intervention (n = 11) or (b) usual WIC care (n = 11). The intervention provided skills training and problem solving via six calls and two in-person visits with a Black mother trained in behavioral weight control strategies. Text messaging and Facebook served as platforms for self-monitoring, additional content, and interpersonal support. Both arms completed baseline and 14 week follow-up assessments. All participants were retained in the trial. Intervention engagement was high; the majority (55%) responded to at least 50% of the self-monitoring text prompts, and an average of 3.4 peer calls and 1.7 visits were completed. Mean weight loss among intervention participants was -1.4 ± 4.2 kg compared to a mean weight gain of 3.5 ± 6.0 kg in usual WIC care. Most intervention participants strongly agreed that the skills they learned were extremely useful (90%) and that the coach calls were extremely helpful for weight control (80%). Results suggest the feasibility of incorporating peer coaching into a postpartum weight loss intervention for ethnic minority women with obesity. Future research should examine the sustained impact in a larger trial.

Influence of Sleep Duration on Postpartum Weight Change in Black and Hispanic Women.

OBJECTIVE: The primary purpose of this study was to examine associations of objectively measured sleep duration with weight changes in black and Hispanic mothers over the first postpartum year. METHODS: Data were from 159 mothers (69% black, 32% Hispanic). Nocturnal sleep duration was assessed using wrist actigraphy at 6 weeks and 5 months post partum, examined as a continuous variable and in categories (< 7 vs. ≥ 7 hours/night, consistent with American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommendations). Body weights were abstracted from medical records in pregnancy and measured at 6 weeks, 5 months, and 12 months post partum. Outcomes included early postpartum (6 weeks to 5 months) and late postpartum (5 to 12 months) weight changes. RESULTS: The majority of participants slept < 7 hours/night at 6 weeks (75%) and 5 months (63%) post partum. Early postpartum weight change did not differ by 6-week sleep duration category. By contrast, adjusted average late postpartum weight gain (SE) was 1.8 (0.7) kg higher in participants sleeping < 7 hours/night at 5 months post partum compared with those sleeping ≥ 7 hours/night (P = 0.02). Results did not show statistically significant associations of continuous measures of sleep duration, nor of measures of sleep quality, with postpartum weight changes. CONCLUSIONS: Sleeping < 7 hours/night was associated with late postpartum weight gain in minority mothers.