Grant: Operating Grant

Excess weight gain in pregnancy is a major health problem affecting 55-75% of Canadian women who enter pregnancy overweight or obese and about 40% of women who are normal weight. Such excess weight gain puts mothers at risk for health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure and developing or sustaining obesity after pregnancy and puts their babies at risk of being born too large or developing related health problems. While guidelines for healthy pregnancy are currently provided through clinical and public health programs, they do not appear to be effective since excess pregnancy weight gain and adverse pregnancy outcomes are still widely observed. Our research questions is: Will a safe and practical structured nutrition and exercise program introduced in early pregnancy compared to standard prenatal care increase the chance that mothers will achieve a pregnancy weight gain within the current recommendations; and secondly, improve health measures in the mother and infant at six months post-partum? The combined nutrition and exercise program is based on our recent research along with new information about the needs and preferences identified by pregnant women and their care providers. Mothers will be randomized in their first trimester of pregnancy to structured high dairy protein nutrition plan and walking exercise program or the usual (standard) care by their care provider including advice on the current web-based guidance for healthy pregnancy weight gain recommended by Health Canada. Mothers will be assessed for weight, physical activity and adherence to the nutrition plan until birth and at follow-up with their infants at 6 months after birth. The research team will work with partners in community, public health and professional associations to ensure that new information from the research will be quickly transferred to programs to assist women to have healthier pregnancies.