The Healthy Moms Study: Comparison of a Post-Partum Weight Loss Intervention Delivered Via Facebook or In-Person Groups

Post-partum weight retention contributes to obesity for many women, increasing risk for cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases and complicating future pregnancies. Lifestyle interventions have shown to be modestly efficacious for post-partum weight loss in randomized controlled trials, yet interventions with numerous visits are logistically challenging for many post-partum women. Innovative and efficacious treatment models for post-partum weight loss that fit into the busy lives of new moms are needed, and cost-effectiveness is critical for adoption. Facebook may be an efficient platform for delivering evidence-based weight loss programming to post-partum women. Delivering interventions via Facebook allows us to connect with post-partum women where they are, more fully integrating into their lives and daily routines. Investigators have developed a post-partum weight loss intervention based on the Diabetes Prevention Program, tailored to needs of post-partum women and for delivery via Facebook. Investigators will conduct a feasibility pilot randomized trial comparing delivery of a post-partum weight loss intervention via Facebook to in-person group sessions. Primary outcomes are the feasibility of recruitment, sustained participation, contamination, retention, and feasibility of assessment procedures in both treatment conditions. Weight loss will be described as an exploratory outcome. The project will provide preliminary data needed to finalize the design of a large randomized trial to compare the non-inferiority and cost-effectiveness of the post-partum weight loss intervention delivered via Facebook versus in-person group sessions. Demonstrating cost-effectiveness in addition to efficacy of our Facebook-delivered post-partum weight loss intervention is critical to support widespread implementation.