A nutrition and physical activity intervention promotes weight loss and enhances diet attitudes in low-income mothers of young children.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a nutrition and physical activity program for reducing body weight and improving nutrition attitudes in mothers of young children. A convenience sample of 114 intervention mothers and 33 comparison mothers was recruited from public health clinics and community centers. Eligibility criteria included Hispanic, African American, or white ethnicity; body mass index of at least 25 kg/m(2); low income (< 200% of the federal poverty index); and youngest child aged 1 to 4 years. For intervention participants, height, weight, percentage of body fat, waist circumference, demographics, nutrition attitudes, and dietary intake were measured at weeks 0 and 8; height, weight, percentage of body fat, and waist circumference were reassessed at 6 months. Overweight mothers in the comparison group provided anthropometric and demographic data at weeks 0 and 8. Changes in anthropometrics, attitudes, and dietary intake were evaluated in intervention mothers. Anthropometric data of intervention vs comparison group mothers were examined. Differences in anthropometrics and attitude scores between weight loss responders (> or = 2.27 kg) and nonresponders (< 2.27 kg) were assessed at week 8. Intervention participants lost weight (x = -2.7 kg; P < .001), whereas comparison mothers gained a slight amount of weight (x = 0.1 kg) by week 8. Weight loss responders had healthier eating attitudes (5.6 vs 5.2; P < .01) and fewer perceived barriers (2.4 vs 2.9; P < .05) than nonresponders postintervention. In conclusion, this dietary and physical activity curriculum is a valuable resource for weight management programs serving low-income women.

Greater nutrition knowledge is associated with lower 1-year postpartum weight retention in low-income women.

The purpose of this study was to assess nutrition knowledge during early and late postpartum in a sample of low-income and minority women, and to determine if that knowledge had any relationship to weight retention at 1-year postpartum. A questionnaire was developed and validated in a sample of 151 low-income new mothers. This instrument was then administered to a separate sample of mothers (n=140) of similar demographics to assess nutrition knowledge at 0 to 1 days and 12 months postpartum. In addition, a survey of nutrition information sources was administered at both time points. Nutrition knowledge was compared with 12-month postpartum weight retention and demographic variables. Women who retained less than 5% of weight gained during pregnancy had greater knowledge of nutrition at 0 months (53% vs 49%, P<0.05) and 12 months (55% vs 51%, P<0.05) than those who retained 5% or more of weight gained during pregnancy. Whites had higher nutrition knowledge scores than non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics. Women who lactated 6 months or more had more knowledge than those who lactated less than 6 months. Higher knowledge test scores were observed among women who used the Internet and books/magazines as their source for information. These results indicate that assessment of nutrition knowledge in early postpartum can identify women at risk for significant weight retention.

Low-income, overweight and obese mothers as agents of change to improve food choices, fat habits, and physical activity in their 1-to-3-year-old children.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of a weight loss program for mothers on the diet and activity of mothers and their 1-3 year old children. DESIGN: Overweight and obese mothers participated in an 8-week weight loss intervention encompassing diet, physical activity, and behavioral modification. Anthropometrics, demographic, dietary, and physical activity questionnaires were administered at weeks 0 and 8; anthropometrics were re-evaluated at week 24. SUBJECTS: Mothers (N=91) of a 1-3 year old child; body mass index (BMI) >or= 25 kg/m2; non-breastfeeding; age 18-45 years; income < 200% of federal poverty index; Hispanic, African American, or white; and English-speaking were recruited from Special Supplemental Program for Women Infants and Children (WIC) and public health clinics. INTERVENTION MEASURES OF OUTCOME: Weight loss in mothers and improvements in diet (reduction in calories, fat, snacks/desserts, sweetened beverages, and increases in fruit, vegetables) and activity in mothers and children. RESULTS: Weight loss in mothers was modest (-2.7 kg, p < 0.001) and sustained at week 24 (-2.8 kg, p < 0.001), and children gained in height and weight as expected for normal growth (p < 0.001). Initial energy intakes of children exceeded Estimated Energy Requirements (123%) and were reduced to acceptable levels post-intervention (102%, p < 0.001); additional beneficial changes in children's diets were decreased total (47.7 to 39.9 g/day) and saturated fat (19.2 to 16.6 g/day), high-fat snacks/desserts (1.6 to 0.9 servings/day), added fats (81.8 to 40.9% using), sweetened beverages (0.8 to 0.4 servings/day), and fast food consumption (11.6 to 6.6% of meals), and increased home-prepared meals (63.2 to 71.6% of meals) (p < 0.01 for all). Physical activity scores improved by 7% in children (p < 0.05). Comparable changes in food choices and activity also were seen in mothers. CONCLUSION: Offering weight loss classes was a successful method of enticing low-income women to participate in an educational intervention that benefited their children. Overweight and obese mothers who modified their food choices and fat habits made comparable changes for their child.

Promotion of physical activity in low-income mothers using pedometers.

OBJECTIVE: This study tested the effectiveness of a pedometer program for increasing physical activity levels and reducing body weight in overweight and obese mothers of young children. DESIGN: Participants' motivational readiness to exercise, exercise self-efficacy, pedometer steps, pedometer kilocalories, and anthropometrics were evaluated at week 0 and week 8; anthropometrics were reassessed at week 24. Healthful-weight mothers provided comparison data at baseline. SUBJECTS/SETTING: A convenience sample of 93 intervention women (body mass index [calculated as kg/m(2)] >or=25) and 31 comparison women (body mass index <25) were recruited from public health clinics, community centers, and churches. Eligibility criteria included Hispanic, African-American, or white ethnicity and low income (<200% of the federal poverty index). INTERVENTION: An 8-week physical activity and dietary program was conducted. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Motivational readiness to exercise, exercise self-efficacy, pedometer steps, and weight loss. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: Independent sample t tests, chi(2) tests, paired t tests, Wilcoxon signed-ranks tests, repeated measures analysis of variance, and Pearson and Spearman correlations. RESULTS: Mothers enhanced their motivational readiness to exercise, exercise self-efficacy, pedometer steps, and pedometer kilocalories. Reductions in body weight, percent body fat, and waist circumference also were observed. Significant correlations were found between exercise self-efficacy and exercise readiness (r=0.28, P<0.01), pedometer steps (r=0.30, P<0.01), and pedometer kilocalories (r=0.28, P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This intervention successfully increased the physical activity levels and promoted weight loss in low-income mothers. Public health clinics may wish to incorporate elements of this intervention into their programs to improve the physical fitness of recipients.

Nutrition knowledge is associated with greater weight loss in obese and overweight low-income mothers.

OBJECTIVE: To examine if greater nutrition knowledge vs gains in knowledge promote more successful weight loss in low-income, overweight and obese mothers with young children. DESIGN: A convenience sample of mothers and their children were measured for height and weight; mothers completed demographic and nutrition knowledge questionnaires pre- and post-intervention. SUBJECTS/SETTING: Participants (N=141) were recruited from government and public health clinics and elementary schools. Inclusion criteria for mothers were: family income <200% federal poverty level; overweight/obese; and Hispanic, African-American, or white race/ethnicity. INTERVENTION: Eight weekly weight-loss classes emphasizing diet, physical activity, and behavior modification based on Social Cognitive Theory were administered to mothers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Improvements in maternal nutrition knowledge and weight loss. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: Paired-samples t tests, repeated measures analysis of variance, analysis of covariance, Pearson correlations, and chi(2) statistics. RESULTS: Nutrition knowledge of mothers increased in all areas. Participants with weight loss > or =2.27 kg (responders) had greater knowledge than those who did not; however, the actual net gain was similar for those who lost and did not lose weight. Weight gainers only improved in two areas on the test, whereas weight-loss responders increased knowledge in all six. Responders appeared more cognizant of diet, weight loss, and health information. CONCLUSIONS: Weight-management programs should include a strong component of nutrition education to alleviate knowledge inequalities and promote more effective weight control. In low-income mothers, greater initial knowledge may be more predictive of weight loss than gains in knowledge during an intervention.

Food choices of low-income women during pregnancy and postpartum.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine dietary behavior during pregnancy and postpartum in a multiethnic sample of low-income women. SUBJECTS: Participants were 149 Medicaid-qualified women (30% white, 24% African American, and 46% Hispanic; median age, 22 years). DESIGN: Subjects were recruited into a longitudinal cohort design 0 to 1 days following delivery. Dietary choices during pregnancy and the first 6 months postpartum were assessed via validated food frequency questionnaires administered at 6 weeks and 6 months postpartum, respectively. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: Frequencies and means were used for descriptive purposes. Paired and independent sample t tests were used for continuous variables; chi 2 and McNemar tests were used for categorical variables. RESULTS: In all subjects, mean daily servings of grains (7.4 vs 6.2, P <.004), vegetables (2.5 vs 2.0, P <.002), and fruit (3.4 vs 1.7, P <.001) declined following childbirth, while the percentage of energy from fat (37.3% vs 38.4%, P <.023) and added sugar (14.4% vs 16.4%, P <.019) increased. Women who breastfed their infants at 6 months postpartum reported lower intakes of total fat (34.2% vs 37.9%, P <.005) during pregnancy and higher fruit (2.2 vs 1.6, P <.05) and vegetable (2.6 vs 1.8, P <.02) intakes in postpartum than those who bottle-fed. Also, a greater proportion of lactating than nonlactating women (66.7% vs 36.9%, P <.05) met recommendations for fruit intake during pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that the transition from pregnancy to postpartum may be associated with a negative impact on dietary behavior that could compromise nutritional status in low-income women.

Compliance with dietary guidelines and relationship to psychosocial factors in low-income women in late postpartum.

OBJECTIVES: The goals were to evaluate compliance with the Dietary Guidelines among low-income women during late postpartum and to examine the relationship between psychosocial variables and dietary compliance. SUBJECTS/SETTING: Participants were 146 triethnic, low-income women who were recruited 0 to 1 days after childbirth and who visited a clinic site at 1 year postpartum. DESIGN: At 1 year postpartum, multiple psychosocial characteristics were measured, and food choices and nutrient intakes were assessed via a validated food frequency questionnaire. Dietary guidelines index scores and measures of adherence to dietary recommendations were computed. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: Descriptive statistics, analysis of variance with post-hoc Scheffe tests, chi 2 with follow-up tests of independent proportions, and Pearson correlation coefficients were utilized. RESULTS: For dietary compliance, 60% had adequate intakes of meat, but less than 30% met recommendations for grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy foods, total fat, and added sugar. Healthful weights (body mass index <25) were observed in 37% of women. Those in the highest tertile of dietary compliance had a more positive body image than those in the lowest tertile, and less neglect of self-care, weight-related distress, stress, depressive symptoms, and perceived barriers to weight loss ( P <.05). Dietary compliance and psychosocial scale scores did not vary by ethnicity. CONCLUSIONS: Adherence to dietary guidelines was limited in the low-income, postpartum women. Psychosocial variables, such as neglect of self-care, weight-related distress, negative body image, stress, and depressive symptoms were associated with less healthful diets and lifestyle in late postpartum. Programs that target diet-related behavior change in low-income women might be improved by inclusion of psychosocial assessment and counseling components.

Relative validity and reliability of a food frequency questionnaire for a triethnic population of 1-year-old to 3-year-old children from low-income families.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for low-income, 1- to 3-year-old Hispanic, African-American, and white children. DESIGN: A convenience sample of low-income mothers provided dietary data for their child via FFQs and 3-day diet records. SUBJECTS/SETTING: Participants (N=77) were recruited from Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants, and Children clinics and public health clinics. All subjects were Hispanic, African-American, or white mothers of children 1 to 3 years old, 18 years of age or older, income less than 200% of the federal poverty level, and were literate in English. Statistical analyses performed Wilcoxon signed-ranks tests were used for comparisons of food group servings on time 1 and time 2 FFQs and to examine differences in food group servings between the FFQ and diet records. Spearman correlations were calculated to assess test-retest reliability and the relative validity. Contingency tables were used to determine the degree of association between the FFQ and diet records. RESULTS: Reliability correlations were significant for all nine food categories ( =0.69), ranging from 0.53 (soups) to 0.84 (nonstarchy vegetables). Validity correlations were significant for all food groups ( =0.41) except starchy vegetables. Thirty-six percent of children were classified into the same quartile of food group intake and 78% into the same or within one quartile. CONCLUSIONS: The FFQ yielded excellent reliability and acceptable validity and can be used to assess food choices in a triethnic sample of low-income 1- to 3-year-old children.

Weight and behavioral and psychosocial factors among ethnically diverse, low-income women after childbirth: I. Methods and context.

OBJECTIVE: In this paper, we present the background, hypotheses, methods, and descriptive findings from the Austin New Mothers Study, a longitudinal series measuring weight and contextual variables across the first postpartum year. Among the distinguishing features of this study are its tri-ethnic sample of low-income women and its serial measurement of the behavioral and psychosocial context of postpartum weight changes post-delivery and at 6 weeks, and 3, 6, and 12 months postpartum. METHOD: A prospective longitudinal design was used to assess body mass index (BMI), energy intake, fat intake, physical activity, health-related lifestyle, depressive symptoms, body image, and weight-related distress at each observation. SAMPLE: The analytic sample consisted of 382 White, African American, and Hispanic women. FINDINGS: For BMI, effects for ethnicity (p < .001), time (p < .001), and their interaction (p = .005) were significant. All ethnic groups had significant declines in BMI from delivery to 6 weeks postpartum. Thereafter, BMIs of White women declined during the second 6 months, whereas those of Hispanic and African American women either displayed small gains or plateaus between adjacent observations. Time-related effects were significant for behavioral and psychosocial variables except for body image and weight-related distress, whereas effects for ethnicity were significant on fat intake, depressive symptoms, and body image. Despite declines in depressive symptoms, women remained at risk of depression across the first postpartum year. CONCLUSIONS: Low-income ethnic minority women have a higher vulnerability to postpartum weight gains or plateaus. High depressive symptoms occurred in all ethnic groups examined.

Weight and behavioral and psychosocial factors among ethnically diverse, low-income women after childbirth: II. Trends and correlates.

OBJECTIVE: This paper presents a longitudinal analysis of behavioral and psychosocial correlates of weight trends during the first postpartum year. Data are derived from the Austin New Mothers Study (ANMS), a longitudinal study of a low-income, tri-ethnic sample of postpartum women that incorporated serial assessment of weight and behavioral and psychosocial variables. METHOD: Postpartum body mass index (BMI) was measured prospectively (post-delivery, 6 weeks, and 3, 6, and 12 months postpartum). The analytic sample consisted of 382 White, African American, and Hispanic women receiving maternity care funded by Medicaid who had at least three measured postpartum weights. Behavioral and psychosocial variables included energy intakes, fat intakes, physical activity, health related lifestyle, smoking, breastfeeding, contraception, depressive symptoms, emotional eating, body image, and weight-related distress. RESULTS: Using hierarchical linear modeling to incorporate baseline only and time-varying effects, significant associations with postpartum BMI were found for the following variables: ethnicity (p = .001), time of weight measurement (p < .001), the interaction of ethnicity and time (p = .005), pre-pregnant BMI (p < .001), gestational weight gain (p < .001), weight-related distress (p < .001), and energy intakes (p = .005). After adjusting for covariates, ethnic groups displayed differing trends in postpartum BMI resulting in White women having significantly lower BMIs at 12 months postpartum compared to ethnic minority women (p's < .01). CONCLUSION: Behavioral and psychosocial variables contribute to a fuller understanding of BMI status of low-income women during the first postpartum year.