Download PDF
Am J Perinatol 2023; 40(03): 319-325
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1727217
Original Article

Does Daily Self-Weighing Contribute to Postpartum Weight Loss? A Secondary Analysis of Daily Postpartum Weights among Women with Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy

Ali N. Lohr
1   Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
,
Kara K. Hoppe
1   Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
,
Chaoqun C. Mei
2   Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
,
Kathleen M. Antony 
1   Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
› Author Affiliations Funding This project was supported by the summer research award from the Herman and Gwendolyn Shapiro Foundation and University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Dean's Office Funds (ANL); the UnityPoint Health—Meriter Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology intramural departmental funding and in part by the Clinical and Translation Science Award (no.: UL1 TR002372) to the University of Wisconsin-Madison from the National Center for Advancing Translational Science, NIH, DHHS (KKH); the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program, through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), grant no.: UL1TR002373 (CCM). The funding source had no role in the study design, collection, analysis, or interpretation of data, writing of the report, or decision to submit the article for publication.
› Further Information
    Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

Objective This study was aimed to examine the impact of daily self-weighing via remote monitoring on postpartum weight loss.

Study Design This was a secondary analysis of a nonrandomized controlled trial comprised of postpartum women with diagnosed hypertensive-related disorders in pregnancy who received a tablet device linked to Bluetooth-enabled equipment including a scale and blood pressure cuff. In addition to blood pressure monitoring, participants were instructed to perform daily self-weighing. The primary outcome of this study was to determine whether postpartum women who performed daily self-weighing lost more weight than those who did not, with a 42-day endpoint based on a 6-week postpartum visit weight.

Results Overall, 214 women participated in this program and 214 received usual care. Median weight loss for women participating in the remote blood pressure monitoring system was 23.0 (interquartile range [IQR]: 17–30) pounds versus 23.0 (IQR: 17–29) pounds among controls. Weight loss did not vary by prepregnancy obesity (median: 20 pounds [IQR: 17–28 pounds] for nonobese and 23 [IQR: 17–30] pounds for women with obesity, p = 0.16). Women who weighed themselves more than half of follow-up days lost a median of 24 pounds (IQR: 17–30 pounds) compared with 20.5 pounds (IQR: 14–29 pounds), p = 0.06. Women who weighed themselves more than half of follow-up days lost a mean of 11.4% (standard deviation [SD] = 0.41%) of body weight compared with 9.1% (SD = 0.74%; p = 0.01). The amount of weight loss in the telehealth group was correlated with the number of daily weights performed (Pearson's correlation coefficient 0.164, p = 0.025). Postpartum weight loss for daily self-weighing participants was most notable in the first 2 weeks with ongoing weight loss up to the 42-day (6-week) endpoint of this secondary analysis.

Conclusion Daily self-weighing alone may be insufficient to promote postpartum weight loss. However, there was a slight trend toward more weight loss with more frequent weighing.

Key Points

  • Daily self-weighing is insufficient for postpartum weight loss.

  • Women who weighed themselves more lost slightly more weight.

  • Weight loss was the most notable in the first 2 weeks.

  • Its use as one part of a program may be worth studying.

Keywords

postpartum weight loss - daily self-weighing - weight management - pregnancy - gestational weight gain - obesity - postpartum hypertension

Note

Data from this paper were presented as a poster presentation at the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists' Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting in Nashville, TN, 2019 (Poster, Abstract 27B) and the Wisconsin Association for Perinatal Care, Oshkosh, WI, 2019.




Publication History

Received: 21 June 2020

Accepted: 02 March 2021

Article published online:
26 April 2021

© 2021. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.
333 Seventh Avenue, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10001, USA

 

  • References

  • 1 Mamun AA, Callaway LK, O'Callaghan MJ. et al. Associations of maternal pre-pregnancy obesity and excess pregnancy weight gains with adverse pregnancy outcomes and length of hospital stay. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2011; 11: 62
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 2 Hartge D, Spiegler J, Schroeer A, Deckwart V, Weichert J. Maternal super-obesity. Arch Gynecol Obstet 2016; 293 (05) 987-992
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 3 Catalano PM, Shankar K. Obesity and pregnancy: mechanisms of short term and long term adverse consequences for mother and child. BMJ 2017; 356: j1
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 4 Stamilio DM, Scifres CM. Extreme obesity and postcesarean maternal complications. Obstet Gynecol 2014; 124 (2 Pt 1): 227-232
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 5 Fyfe EM, Anderson NH, North RA. et al; Screening for Pregnancy Endpoints (SCOPE) Consortium. Risk of first-stage and second-stage cesarean delivery by maternal body mass index among nulliparous women in labor at term. Obstet Gynecol 2011; 117 (06) 1315-1322
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 6 Magriples U, Kershaw TS, Rising SS, Westdahl C, Ickovics JR. The effects of obesity and weight gain in young women on obstetric outcomes. Am J Perinatol 2009; 26 (05) 365-371
    Article in Thieme ConnectPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 7 O'Dwyer V, Farah N, Fattah C, O'Connor N, Kennelly MM, Turner MJ. The risk of caesarean section in obese women analysed by parity. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 2011; 158 (01) 28-32
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 8 Pallasmaa N, Ekblad U, Aitokallio-Tallberg A. et al. Cesarean delivery in Finland: maternal complications and obstetric risk factors. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2010; 89 (07) 896-902
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 9 Bonnesen B, Secher NJ, Møller LK, Rasmussen S, Andreasen KR, Renault K. Pregnancy outcomes in a cohort of women with a preconception body mass index >50 kg/m2 . Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2013; 92 (09) 1111-1114
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 10 Mhyre JM, Riesner MN, Polley LS, Naughton NN. A series of anesthesia-related maternal deaths in Michigan, 1985-2003. Anesthesiology 2007; 106 (06) 1096-1104
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 11 The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Obesity in pregnancy. practice bulletin no. 156. Obstet Gynecol 2015; 126: e112-e126
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 12 Pi-Sunyer X. The medical risks of obesity. Postgrad Med 2009; 121 (06) 21-33
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 13 Ehrenthal DB, Catov JM. Importance of engaging obstetrician/gynecologists in cardiovascular disease prevention. Curr Opin Cardiol 2013; 28 (05) 547-553
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 14 Endres LK, Straub H, McKinney C. et al; Community Child Health Network of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Postpartum weight retention risk factors and relationship to obesity at 1 year. Obstet Gynecol 2015; 125 (01) 144-152
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 15 Lipsky LM, Strawderman MS, Olson CM. Maternal weight change between 1 and 2 years postpartum: the importance of 1 year weight retention. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2012; 20 (07) 1496-1502
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 16 Silfee VJ, Lopez-Cepero A, Lemon SC, Estabrook B, Nguyen O, Rosal MC. Recruiting low-income postpartum women into two weight loss interventions: in-person versus Facebook delivery. Transl Behav Med 2018; 9 (01) 129-134
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 17 Sherifali D, Nerenberg KA, Wilson S. et al. The effectiveness of eHealth technologies on weight management in pregnant and postpartum women: systematic review and meta-analysis. J Med Internet Res 2017; 19 (10) e337
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 18 Gilmore LA, Klempel MC, Martin CK. et al. Personalized mobile health intervention for health and weight loss in postpartum women receiving women, infants, and children benefit: a randomized controlled pilot study. J Womens Health (Larchmt) 2017; 26 (07) 719-727
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 19 Phelan S, Hagobian T, Brannen A. et al. Effect of an internet-based program on weight loss for low-income postpartum women a randomized clinical trial. JAMA - . JAMA 2017; 317 (23) 2381-2391
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 20 Herring SJ, Cruice JF, Bennett GG, Davey A, Foster GD. Using technology to promote postpartum weight loss in urban, low-income mothers: a pilot randomized controlled trial. J Nutr Educ Behav 2014; 46 (06) 610-615
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 21 Steinberg DM, Bennett GG, Askew S, Tate DF. Weighing every day matters: daily weighing improves weight loss and adoption of weight control behaviors. J Acad Nutr Diet 2015; 115 (04) 511-518
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 22 Pacanowski CR, Bertz FC, Levitsky DA. Daily self-weighing to control body weight in adults: a critical review of the literature. SAGE Open 2014; 4 (04) 1-16
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 23 Hoppe KK, Thomas N, Zernick M. Telehealth with remote monitoring compared to standard care for postpartum hypertension: a non-randomized trial. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2020; 223 (04) 585-588
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 24 Hoppe KK, Williams M, Thomas N. et al. Telehealth with remote blood pressure monitoring for postpartum hypertension: A prospective single-cohort feasibility study. Pregnancy Hypertens 2019; 15: 171-176
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 25 Hypertension in pregnancy. Report of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' Task Force on Hypertension in Pregnancy. Obstet Gynecol 2013; 122 (05) 1122-1131
    Google Scholar
  • 26 Steinberg DM, Tate DF, Bennett GG, Ennett S, Samuel-Hodge C, Ward DS. The efficacy of a daily self-weighing weight loss intervention using smart scales and e-mail. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2013; 21 (09) 1789-1797
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 27 Rosenbaum DL, Espel HM, Butryn ML, Zhang F, Lowe MR. Daily self-weighing and weight gain prevention: a longitudinal study of college-aged women. J Behav Med 2017; 40 (05) 846-853
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar