Interventions for weight management in postpartum women.
OBJECTIVE
To report the results of a comprehensive review of published intervention studies to identify the best evidence available for guiding weight management interventions in postpartum women.


METHODS
Electronic searches were conducted of three electronic databases: Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature; Medline; and the Science Citation Index, Expanded, in the Web of Science from 1994 to May 2007. Keyword searches were conducted using the terms obesity, obese, overweight, postpartum, pregnancy weight, and weight management in postpartum women.


METHODS
Six studies were selected that met the inclusion criteria of testing interventions and one that reported preintervention planning and targeted a weight management intervention for postpartum women.


METHODS
All six interventions showed significant impact with diet and exercise or some combination on body composition in the targeted sample of women.


RESULTS
The strengths of previous studies include an emphasis on precision in outcome measures and experimental conditions; limitations were that the theoretical basis for the interventions was frequently omitted and limited attention given to the cultural, social, and contextual factors established in descriptive research.


CONCLUSIONS
Interventions need to target women early in their childbearing years to have the most significant long-term impact.
Keller
Colleen
C
Center for Healthy Outcomes in Aging, College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA. collen.keller@asu.edu
Records
Kathie
K
Ainsworth
Barbara
B
Permana
Paska
P
Coonrod
Dean V
DV
D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D009035:Mothers / Q000193:education*; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D049590:Postpartum Period; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods; D016387:Women's Health