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Management of Gestational Weight Gain by Family Physicians: Seeking Congruence With Guidelines

Not Applicable
Withdrawn
Conditions
Gestational Weight Gain
Interventions
Behavioral: Training in the use of IOM charts
Registration Number
NCT01803698
Lead Sponsor
Helena Piccinini
Brief Summary

Background The Institute of Medicine (IOM) published guidelines in 2009 for optimal gestational weight gain (GWG) during pregnancy. These guidelines include trajectories for optimal GWG, based on a woman's pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), to be used throughout the duration of a pregnancy. Although there is a significant association between the total GWG recommended by these guidelines and maternal and perinatal outcomes, research has demonstrated that only approximately one-third of pregnant women have total GWG within the recommended amounts. Factors known to influence GWG include maternal age, parity, being in a committed relationship and smoking. In addition, recommendations by primary care providers have been shown to influence actual GWG. Women appreciate advice from their primary care providers, however, despite this, there is evidence that many patients report not being advised at all about GWG by their primary care providers.

Relevance Excess weight gain in pregnancy has been shown to be a modifiable risk factor for excess weight in childhood, thus contributing to the intergenerational cycle of obesity. There is an opportunity to interfere with this cycle during the peri-pregnancy period, as women's motivation to engage in behaviour change is elevated and contact with their primary care providers is frequent.

Research Question and Hypothesis What impact does training family physicians to regularly refer to the IOM trajectories and provide feedback about GWG ("training in the use of IOM charts") during routine prenatal visits, compared to usual care, have on congruence of total GWG with IOM guidelines? Null Hypothesis: there is no difference in the congruence of total GWG with IOM guidelines between women whose family physicians were assigned to training in the use of the IOM charts and those whose family physicians were assigned to usual care.

Objectives

The following are the objectives for this study:

1. To compare the congruence of total GWG with IOM guidelines between women whose family physicians were assigned to training in the use of IOM trajectories and those whose family physicians were assigned to usual care.

2. To explore the relationship between other independent variables (maternal age, parity, committed relationship and smoking) and congruence of total GWG with IOM guidelines, for women whose family physicians were assigned to training in the use of IOM trajectories and for those whose family physicians were assigned to usual care.

Detailed Description

Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
WITHDRAWN
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
Not specified
Inclusion Criteria
  • family physicians who provide prenatal care
  • pregnant women with low risk pregnancy
Exclusion Criteria
  • pregnant women < 18 years old
  • pregnant women with multiple gestation
  • pregnant women with chronic disease
  • pregnant women initially presenting in second trimester or later.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Training in the use of IOM chartsTraining in the use of IOM chartsTraining family physicians to regularly refer to the Institute of Medicine guideline trajectories and provide feedback about GWG ("training in the use of IOM charts") during routine prenatal visits.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Congruence with gestational weight gain guidelinesup to 38 weeks after enrolment

The congruence of total gestational weight gain with Institute of Medicine guidelines based on pre-pregnancy body mass index.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Halifax Regional Municipality

🇨🇦

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

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