Impact of a Lifestyle Intervention Among Latina Women on Infant Birth and Anthropometric Measures: Pooled Analyses of 2 Randomized Controlled Trials

To assess the impact of a pregnancy and postpartum culturally modified, motivationally targeted, individually tailored intervention on infant outcomes among Latinas.

We conducted a pooled analysis of 2 randomized controlled trials in Western Massachusetts: Estudio Parto (collected 2013-2017, analyzed 2018-2020, n = 203) and Proyecto Mamá (data collected 2014-2020, analyzed 2021-2022, n = 141) focused on pregnant Latinas (predominantly Puerto Rican) with abnormal glucose tolerance and prepregnancy body mass index in the overweight/obese range, respectively. Women were randomized in pregnancy to a Lifestyle Intervention (n = 167) focusing on healthy exercise and diet or to a comparison Health and Wellness Intervention (n = 177) with no mention of exercise or diet. The primary outcomes in both studies were birth weight, gestational age, birth weight-for-gestational-age z score, low birth weight, preterm birth, small-for-gestational-age, large for gestational age, macrosomia). Proyecto Mamá also assessed infant anthropometrics (ie, weight, length, sum and ratio of skin fold thickness, ponderal index) at 6 weeks of age. We used linear regression for continuous outcomes and logistic regression for dichotomous outcomes.

In modified intent-to-treat analyses, we observed no statistically significant impact of the Lifestyle Intervention on infant outcomes or anthropometric measures. For example, there was no difference in odds of small-for-gestational-age between intervention arms (odds ratio = 1.29; 95% confidence interval, 0.60-2.76).

In these randomized trials among pregnant Latina women, we found that a culturally modified, individually tailored Lifestyle Intervention did not lead to a significant difference in infant birth weight outcomes or anthropometric measures when compared to the Health and Wellness control arm.