Risks associated with obesity during pregnancy are well documented. Emerging evidence indicates that maternal obesity may set the stage for future obesity in offspring. This is concerning as nearly half of reproductive aged women are overweight or have obesity. Compounding women's vulnerability to obesity, excessive gestational weight gain and pregnancy weight retention postpartum are factors that increase risk for obesity and cardiometabolic dysfunction. While diet and exercise interventions during pregnancy have beneficial maternal health outcomes, these efforts may be too late to promote downstream benefits to the developing fetus. This presentation addresses the critical need to educate dietitians on lifestyle interventions for weight management before, during, and after pregnancy while highlighting practical applications for successful behavioral counseling by lead dietitian, Jacob Mey, PhD, RD, for the multi-site Lifestyle Intervention in Preparation for Pregnancy (LIPP) study.

Speakers

• Jacob Mey
• Emily W. Flanagan