title: The effect of a counselling intervention on weight changes during and after pregnancy: a randomised trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effects of a counselling intervention on excessive weight gain during pregnancy and postpartum weight retention.
  
  
  METHODS
  The New Life(style) study was a randomised trial with a control group (n = 113) and an intervention group (n = 106).
  
  
  METHODS
  Midwife practices in the Netherlands.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women with a healthy pregnancy, expecting their first baby.
  
  
  METHODS
  The intervention consisted of four face-to-face counselling sessions about weight, physical activity and diet during pregnancy, and one session by telephone after delivery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Weight was objectively assessed at 15, 25 and 35 weeks of gestation, and again at 8, 26 and 52 weeks postpartum. In regression models, the intervention effect on gestational weight gain and postpartum weight retention was assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Women gained on average 11.3 kg (SD 3.7 kg) from early to late pregnancy. Women were 1.0 kg (SD 5.3 kg) lighter at 52 weeks postpartum compared with early pregnancy. The intervention had no effect on gestational weight gain (B = -0.05; 95% CI -1.10 to 1.00) or postpartum weight (B = 0.94; 95% CI -2.41 to 0.53) in the total study group. In a subgroup of overweight and obese women (n = 47), a favourable trend on all outcomes was observed, but none of the differences were statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The lifestyle counselling intervention evaluated in this study did not have an effect on excessive weight gain or postpartum weight retention. Our findings for overweight and obese women need to be confirmed in a larger, well-designed randomised trial.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public and Occupational Health and the EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Althuizen
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: van der Wijden
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: van Mechelen
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Seidell
authors.forename: M N M
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: van Poppel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003376:Counseling / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009426:Netherlands; D050177:Overweight / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000379:methods*; D015430:Weight Gain