None listed
Conditions
Interventions
The women will be randomly assigned to either the control group or the intervention group, and the women in the intervention group will receive advice on physical activity and diet during and after pr
Sponsors
None listed
Eligibility
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: A cohort of 300 women (two times 150), who are approximately seven months pregnant of their first child (nullipara). All healthy women who visit the midwife within 14 weeks after the start of their last menstrual period, and who are pregnant for the first time, will be eligible for inclusion.
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: Those who are directly referred to a gynaecologist because of complications, and those not able to read/write or communicate in Dutch will be excluded from the study.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| An assistant will perform the anthropometrical measurements and collect the blood samples at 15, 25, 35 weeks of pregnancy and at 7, 25, 51 weeks after delivery in the midwife practice to measure the following outcome measures: Weight and BMI (change): height is measured in bare feet with a portable height scale with a wide measuring slide and a heel plate. Both weight and height will be measured twice, and the mean value of the two measurements will be computed. Calibrated scales are used to determine weight while participants are only wearing light clothing (e.g. underwear) and no shoes. | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| 1. Percentage body fat (sum of four skinfolds): a Harpenden calliper is used to assess percentage body fat. Percentage body fat is determined by measuring the sum of the thickness of four skin folds: biceps, triceps, subscapular and suprailiac according to the method described by Weiner and Lourie.11 During pregnancy the suprailliac skin fold measurement won't be executed. Therefore, the thigh skin fold is also measured on all occasions. All skin folds will be assessed twice. A mean value of the two will be computed. In case the two measurements of a skin fold differ more than 10%, the skin fold will be measured a third time. Also the circumference of arm and thigh will be measured. 2. Change in physical activity and dietary intake: physical activity will be assessed with the Short Questionnaire to Assess Health enhancing physical activity (SQUASH)12. At 15 and 35 weeks of pregnancy and 26 weeks after delivery all participants will wear an (blinded) accelerometer for 3 consecutive days to gather additional data on the levels of physical activity. The focus of dietary intake will be on fat 13,14, fruit and vegetable 15 intake. These questionnaires have been validated. 3. Blood samples: in order to study the influence lifestyle factors on energy homeostasis and weight gain, blood samples will be taken from the participants. Women will be asked for blood samples at 15, 25 and 35 weeks of pregnancy and at 7, 25, 51 weeks after delivery. If women refuse, they can still join the study. The midwives will take a blood sample from the umbilical cord. Collecting blood for routine test and the study will be combined as much as possible in order to limit the number of venapunctures for the participants. Blood levels of leptin, ghrelin, fasting insulin/glucose, insulin growth factor 1, insulin growth factor binding protein 1and 3, and cortisol will be measured. Analyses will take place at the laboratory of the VU University Medical Centre. 4. Data (questionnaires) will also | — |
Contacts
Public ContactMireille N.M. Poppel, van
VU University Medical Center, EMGO- Institute, Van der Boechorststraat 7
Outcome results
None listed