Grant: Planning Grants - Priority Announcement: Nutrition, Metabolism & Diabetes

Pre-pregnancy BMI and the amount of weight a woman gains during pregnancy are predictors of child birth weight and later life obesity in not only mothers but their children as well. Researchers with expertise in the area of maternal obesity, weight gain in pregnancy and pregnancy-related disease as well as other relevant knowledge users will be invited to attend a one-day workshop and symposium to discuss the development of a cross-Canada lifestyle intervention trial for overweight/obese pregnant women. The goal of this intervention is to reduce downstream obesity in children of these mothers through encouraging appropriate weight gain during pregnancy. The planned workshop will serve to i) inform the development of a lifestyle intervention for women with a high pre-pregnancy BMI, ii) identify site investigators representing the various regions of Canada, iii) guide the development of a CIHR grant focusing on the health of mom and baby and iv) initiate discussions relating to an Australian-Canadian collaboration with a team who shares an interest in obesity during pregnancy, and the implications for future development of obesity in infant and early childhood obesity