Physical Activity During Pregnancy: A Prescription for Improved Perinatal Outcomes

Physical activity during pregnancy has significant health benefits for mother and baby that extend beyond the perinatal period. However, the majority of women do not achieve recommended levels of physical activity in either time or intensity. Physical activity tends to decrease even further as pregnancy progresses. Pregnant women have frequent contact with health care providers and may be motivated to engage in behavior changes that improve health. Nurse practitioners should educate women about the benefits of regular physical activity and help them overcome the barriers to achieving recommended physical activity levels to improve perinatal outcomes.     

Effect of a Peer-led Lifestyle Intervention on Individuals With Normal Weight Obesity: Insights From the Kerala Diabetes Prevention Program

PurposeNormal weight obesity (NWO) is a unique phenotype of obesity associated with high cardiovascular mortality. There is limited literature on assessing the effect of therapeutic interventions on the cardiometabolic health of these individuals. We studied the effect of a peer-led lifestyle intervention on key cardiometabolic parameters (blood glucose, blood pressure, and plasma lipids) in individuals with NWO.MethodsThis study is a secondary data analysis of the Kerala Diabetes Prevention Program, a cluster-randomized controlled study that involves a peer-led, real-life lifestyle intervention for individuals from the community between the ages of 30 and 60 years with a high diabetes risk. Participants underwent a rigorous cardiometabolic evaluation at baseline and at 2-year follow-up.FindingsA total of 292 recruited individuals with NWO were randomized into the intervention (n = 159) and control (n = 133) arms. At 2 years of follow-up, there was minimal but statistically significant improvement in systolic blood pressure and serum HDL level in the intervention arm, but no statistical difference was seen in other lipid and glycemic parameters.ImplicationsThis study provides early evidence of the effect of a lifestyle intervention in a cohort of individuals with NWO. Only systolic blood pressure and serum HDL level had a mild favorable change in the intervention arm when compared with the control arm.