Impact of an Antenatal Family-based Behavioral Treatment with a Nutrition and Exercise Lifestyle Intervention Program on Infant Weight-for-length at Birth

Madeline E Hubbard; Stephanie-May Ruchat; Margie H Davenport; Harry Prapavessis; Robert Gratton; Ruth McManus; Isabelle Giroux; Anthony J Hanley; Michelle F Mottola

doi:10.1007/s12529-024-10345-8

Impact of an Antenatal Family-based Behavioral Treatment with a Nutrition and Exercise Lifestyle Intervention Program on Infant Weight-for-length at Birth

Int J Behav Med. 2025 Jan 6. doi: 10.1007/s12529-024-10345-8. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Madeline E Hubbard^{1

2

3

4}, Stephanie-May Ruchat⁵, Margie H Davenport^{6

7}, Harry Prapavessis^{8

9}, Robert Gratton¹⁰, Ruth McManus¹¹, Isabelle Giroux¹², Anthony J Hanley¹³, Michelle F Mottola^{14

15

16

17}

Affiliations

¹ R. Samuel McLaughlin Foundation- Exercise and Pregnancy Laboratory, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
² School of Kinesiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
³ Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
⁴ Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
⁵ Department of Human Kinetics, Université du Québec À Trois, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada.
⁶ Program for Pregnancy and Postpartum Health, Physical Activity and Diabetes Laboratory, Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport and Recreation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
⁷ Women and Children's Health Research Institute, Alberta Diabetes Institute, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
⁸ Exercise and Health Psychology Laboratory, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
⁹ Children's Health Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.
¹⁰ Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
¹¹ Department of Endocrinology, St. Joseph's Health Care London, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
¹² School of Nutrition Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
¹³ Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, 3-M Centre, Toronto, ON, 2245, Canada.
¹⁴ R. Samuel McLaughlin Foundation- Exercise and Pregnancy Laboratory, Western University, London, ON, Canada. [email protected].
¹⁵ School of Kinesiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Western University, London, ON, Canada. [email protected].
¹⁶ Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada. [email protected].
¹⁷ Children's Health Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada. [email protected].

PMID: 39762494
DOI: 10.1007/s12529-024-10345-8

Abstract

Background: World Health Organization (WHO) growth standards, including weight-for-length, are used to monitor infant size. Excessive infant weight-for-length at or above the 85th percentile is a risk for childhood overweight. Although antenatal interventions like the nutrition and exercise lifestyle intervention program (NELIP) have successfully prevented excessive gestational weight gain, strategies to improve the intervention remain of interest. This study investigated the impact of adding a family-based behavioral treatment (FBBT) to NELIP on infant weight-for-length at birth based on WHO growth standards and gestational weight gain.

Methods: Participants were recruited for the NELIP group (n = 68), followed by the NELIP + FBBT group (n = 48). In addition to full analyses, a subgroup of NELIP (n = 48) was matched to NELIP + FBBT based on pre-pregnancy BMI, parity and age.

Results: The number of infants with excessive weight-for-length at birth was significantly different between the NELIP + FBBT and the full NELIP group when maternal pre-pregnancy BMI was considered (φ_c = .275; p = .032). Significantly fewer infants had weight-for-length at or above the 85th percentile in the NELIP + FBBT group (29.2%) compared to the matched NELIP group (50.0%) with a medium effect size (φ_c = .213; p = .037). There were no significant differences between groups in any measures of maternal gestational weight gain.

Conclusions: The inclusion of a FBBT improved the effectiveness of a NELIP by decreasing the prevalence of excessive infant weight-for-length at birth, especially in participants with pre-pregnancy obesity, which could have implications on future childhood overweight and obesity.

Clinicaltrials: gov identifier: NCT01129505.

Keywords: Exercise; Intervention; Nutrition; Obesity; Overweight; Pregnancy.

Associated data

ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT01129505