A Randomised Controlled Trial of Daily Weighing in Pregnancy to Control Gestational Weight Gain, Incorporating Self-Reported Activity Levels of Pregnant Women Presenting to a Secondary Level Maternity Unit.

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The research aim is to ascertain the activity levels of pregnant women who present for antenatal care to a secondary maternity unit as they progress through their pregnancy, and the effect of daily weight monitoring on gestational weight gain. This RCT will determine whether daily selfmonitoring of weight has a beneficial effect on achieving target maternal gestational weight gain, and will explore factors which influence the amount of weight gained during the pregnancy, including dietary advice, selfreported exercise, socioeconomic status and ethnicity. The study is a randomized controlled trial. All patients presenting at 14-20 weeks for antenatal care at Redcliffe Hospital would be eligible for enrollment. Consent will be obtained by a treating clinician at the medical booking in visit (approximately 20 weeks gestation), with participants randomised to one of two groups (daily measurement group and nondaily measurement group). Consent will include the postnatal collection of data pertaining to the health of the mother and the neonate. Exclusion criteria shall include lack of proficiency in English, preexisting diabetes, preexisting hypertension, preexisting renal disease, multiple pregnancies, minors under 18 years of age. Participants and clinicians would be blinded to treatment allocation. Dietary and exercise advice is standardized and comprised of published Australian exercise and dietary guidelines. This information is to be provided in handout form at the visit at which the participant is enrolled, and referred to at each subsequent visit. Those patients in the treatment arm shall also be provided with a set of scales and a record book in which they are to log their weight daily. They shall be provided with instruction to weigh themselves as close to the same time each day as possible. Clinicians are to weigh the participants at the booking in visit (approximately 20 weeks gestation), the 36 week visit and as close to delivery as possible (eg when comes into labour in birth suite). In addition, women will be asked for their prepregnancy weight which is routinely recorded in the pregnancy health record. At enrollment and at the 36/40 summation visit, participants in both treatment groups complete a Kaiser Physical Activity Survey, to assess their levels of activity. At the enrollment visit, they shall also complete a KPAS retrospectively assessing their pre pregnancy activity levels.