StartSmart: A randomized intervention to promote maternal weight control and reduce childhood obesity in the mississippi delta

Excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) can complicate a woman's pregnancy and put her and her child at risk for poor delivery and birth outcomes and chronic conditions such as obesity. Further, feeding and activity habits established early in life can significantly impact the development of obesity in children. Thus, interventions designed to optimize GWG and promote postpartum and early childhood weight management have the potential to significantly impact the health of moms and their babies. We developed StartSmart, an 18 month culturally-tailored maternal weight management and early childhood obesity prevention program for first time African American (AA) moms-to- be in the Mississippi Delta. The program was designed using foundational components from the Diabetes Prevention Program and the Australian INFANT trial. 150 women, in their early 2nd trimester, will be randomized to a child development home visiting program or child development home visiting program + StartSmart. Both interventions will be implemented by trained lay parent educators. The comparative impact of the programs on weight status, dietary intake, and health behaviors of mom and baby will be assessed. Results will determine if a novel, scalable lifestyle intervention can improve the health of AA women and their children at high risk for obesity and chronic disease.