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Weight change 'ripple effect' not present for partners during pregnancy
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Male partners of women with overweight or obesity who undergo a weight management intervention during pregnancy do not tangentially benefit from the intervention, according to findings presented in Obesity.
“Recently, randomized lifestyle interventions have shown a positive ‘ripple’ effect on weight in untreated participants and spouses,” Todd A. Hagobian, PhD, associate professor of kinesiology and public health at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, and colleagues wrote. “These data highlight the indirect reach of behavioral weight-loss interventions to other members living in the home.”
Hagobian and colleagues noted that these “ripple effects” have mostly been reported in relation to weight loss interventions for women who are not pregnant. To test how interventions may indirectly alter weight measures for partners of pregnant women with overweight and obesity, the researchers examined data from two studies in the LIFE-Moms consortium.
The two studies were carried out from November 2012 to May 2016 and combined to include 122 pregnant women. Participants along with their partners were randomly assigned to usual care for the pregnant women (n =63 couples; mean age of men, 36.4 years) or a weight management intervention for the pregnant women (n = 59 couples; mean age of men, 35.6 years) that included counseling, meal plans and a goal of gaining no more than 0.5 pounds per week during pregnancy. The men received no intervention; 48% obesity and 32% had overweight.
At 35 weeks of gestation, partners of women in the intervention group lost an average of 0.20 kg compared with baseline while partners of women in the usual care group gained an average of 0.58 kg, but the difference was not significant. In addition, after 6 months, both groups added 0.79 kg compared with baseline. The researchers further noted that “there was no evidence of a group or group-by-time-interaction on partner weight” and that there was no correlation between how much weight changed for pregnant women and how much it changed for their partners.
“Future studies should consider continuing maternal interventions during the postpartum period when many new barriers emerge, including reduced time for healthy lifestyle and increased responsibilities with a newborn,” the researchers wrote. “It is possible that continued maternal intervention beyond pregnancy and into the postpartum period would have greater effects on partner weight.” – by Phil Neuffer
Disclosures: Hagobian reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the study for all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
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