Maria Koleilat, DrPH, MPH

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Development And Assessment Of A Mobile Application For Assisting WIC
Participants With Weight Loss After Childbirth

The purpose of this ongoing study is to create and test via focus groups and smartphone application to help postpartum low-income women lose weight after childbirth. This study is a collaboration between the departments of public health and computer science at the California State University, Fullerton and is funded by an intramural Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity (RSCA) Incentive Grant.     

Identifying Perceived Barriers And Intervention Strategies Related To Weight Loss After Childbirth For Overweight/Obese Postpartum Participants Of The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program For Women, Infants, And Children (WIC) In Southern California

The purpose of this study to conduct a pilot study with focus groups (FGs) involving overweight/obese postpartum women enrolled in the WIC program to receive: (1) their input on perceived barriers related to weight loss after childbirth and (2) suggestions on intervention strategies for weight loss after childbirth.   The most commonly mentioned barriers to weight loss were lack of knowledge, time, social support and child care, having a cesarean section, postpartum depression, and observance of the Latino cultural tradition of La    Cuarentena.   Participants indicated that their ideal weight loss program after childbirth would integrate technology and include features that foster accountability and peer support along with nutrition and exercise strategies.    This study was funded by    an intramural Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity (RSCA) Incentive Grant.   

1. Koleilat, M., Kim, L.P., Cortes, B., Kodjebacheva, G. (2020).Perceived motivators, barriers and intervention strategies related to weight loss after childbirth among WIC participants in Southern California. American Journal of Health Promotion, 34 (3), 294-302. doi: 10.1177/0890117119895948. Epub 2019 Dec 26.

Improving Periconceptional Health Through The Prevention Of Excessive Gestational Weight Gain: From Research To Intervention

The goal of this research   was   to test evidenced-based methods that can easily be implemented into core WIC service delivery, reducing excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) through an enhanced focus on periconceptional health. Obesity is a cause of great concern in the US. An important contributing factor to obesity among women of reproductive age is sustained weight retention after pregnancy and the strongest predictor of postpartum weight retention is the amount of weight gained during pregnancy. Intervening during pregnancy with specific educational tools and messages that support women to gain weight within the IOM recommendations for GWG will help optimize the mother’s health through her child bearing years and, consequently, break the transgenerational cycle of obesity.   

 

This project address   ed    the    following    priority areas of 1) periconceptional nutrition risk assessment, 2) periconceptional nutrition and health promotion, and 3) periconceptional nutrition intervention through three primary activities:    

1. Developing enhanced individual education materials for pregnant women regarding weight gain during pregnancy;    
2. Piloting the intervention materials in one WIC site and evaluating their impact by comparing women receiving the intervention to matched historical controls who did not receive the intervention; and    
3. Disseminating the findings from the research at the focal conference and nationally through publications and presentations to the WIC and public health communities.    

This study was a collaboration between researchers from PHFE WIC, Pepperdine University, and CSUF. The results showed that 55% of women in the control group gained more than recommended for their weight category vs. 49.6% of women in the intervention group. Although this difference did not reach achieve statistical significance, the impact of the intervention was strongest for overweight women, where 62.5% of the control group exceeded recommendations compared to 48.6% of the intervention group. Among obese women, 65.2% in the control group exceeded recommendations compared to 55.9% of the intervention group. This pilot study was not powered to examine the impact of the intervention by pre-pregnancy weight status, but preliminary data about overweight and obese women suggest that WIC-based intervention using a weight gain tracker may help overweight and obese women stay on track.

1. Koleilat, M., Kim, L.P., & Whaley, S.E. (2017). Focusing on excessive gestational weight gain through weight tracking among participants of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program in Southern California. Californian Journal of Health Promotion,15 (3), 15-24.