Targeting Pregnancy-related Weight Gain to Reduce Disparities in Obesity

Black women are in particular need for obesity prevention and treatment. The childbearing period represents a critical life stage of heightened vulnerability for new or persistent obesity, especially among Black women, who retain 2-3 times more weight after pregnancy than White women. Pregnancy weight gain is the strongest identified risk factor for retaining a substantial amount of weight after pregnancy, yet few published interventions have been effective in reducing excessive weight gain in pregnancy, particularly among low-income Black mothers. The proposed research aims to meets the needs of low-income, Black mothers by developing a novel pregnancy intervention that 1) focuses solely on Black women, 2) incorporates Black mothers' information needs, values, and social context, and 3) uses technology to facilitate participant engagement.