Reducing Maternal Obesity and Diabetes Risks Prior to Conception with the National Diabetes Prevention Program

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Health
• Public Health Interventions
• Maternal-Child Health

Background:

• Maternal obesity and hyperglycemia during pregnancy pose significant health risks to offspring.
• There is a critical need for scalable lifestyle interventions to manage pre-conception weight and glycemia, particularly in diverse, low-income populations.
• These populations face disproportionately higher risks of adverse maternal-child outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the National Diabetes Prevention Program's (NDPP) impact on maternal and offspring health outcomes.
• To provide initial evidence on the effectiveness of the NDPP in diverse, low-income women.

Main Methods:

• A yearlong National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) was implemented in a safety net healthcare system (2013-2019).
• Medical records were used to compare outcomes for pregnant women (<40 years) who attended NDPP for ≥1 month (n=32) versus a usual care group (n=26) of initially eligible but pregnant women.
• Outcomes assessed included changes in BMI and rates of obesity and hyperglycemia at conception and early pregnancy.

Main Results:

• The NDPP group showed a statistically significant mean reduction in BMI change from baseline to conception (-1.8 kg/m², p=0.002).
• Fewer NDPP participants had obesity at conception (56.7% vs. 88.0%, p=0.011) and early pregnancy hyperglycemia (4.0% vs. 25.0%, p=0.020) compared to the usual care group.
• While not all differences reached statistical significance, nearly all outcomes favored the NDPP group.

Conclusions:

• Preliminary findings suggest the National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) can aid in reducing peri-conceptional risks of obesity and diabetes.
• The NDPP shows potential as a supportive intervention for diverse, low-income women aiming to improve pre-conception health.