A pedometer-guided physical activity intervention for obese pregnant women (the Fit MUM Study): Randomized feasibility study

Abstract

Background: Obesity in pregnancy is a growing problem worldwide, with excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) occurring in the majority of pregnancies. This significantly increases risks to both mother and child. A major contributor to both prepregnancy obesity and excessive GWG is physical inactivity; however, past interventions targeting maternal weight gain and activity levels during the antenatal period have been ineffective in women who are already overweight. Pedometer-guided activity may offer a novel solution for increasing activity levels in this population. Objective: This initial feasibility randomized controlled trial aimed to test a pedometer-based intervention to increase activ..