Evaluation of a Physical Activity Intervention for New Parents

Promotion of regular physical activity (PA) is paramount to obesity prevention and the reduction of over 25 chronic health conditions. National cross-sectional and cohort studies on overweight/obesity prevalence suggest that adult weight gain is highest between ages 25 to 35 and this also corresponds to peak reductions in PA. The onset of parenthood may be an important contributor due to the changes in lifestyle required when raising children. Prior research, including our funded longitudinal trials has shown that, after controlling for other possible demographic factors, parents have lower PA levels compared to nonparents. Thus, the primary objective of this investigation is to test the efficacy of an intervention focused on maintaining the PA of new parents. This study will be a randomized controlled trial conducted with measurements at baseline (2 months post partum), six weeks, three months and six months post-intervention (8 months post partum). Participants will be randomized into one of two groups 1) intervention condition; or 2) standard condition. Based on our current feasibility study underway, 200 participants will be recruited via baby classes. Participants will be common law or married couples, expecting their first child. We expect the recruitment process to be ongoing across the first year and continuing for the following 30 months. The study should be achievable from start to finish in four years. The study will help fill a gap in our understanding of whether a cost-effective intervention implemented through baby classes can improve/maintain PA during transitions to parenthood. This information is important because we have little empirical evidence in the form of intervention research on this matter. All of this research has the potential to be directly applied to population-level knowledge translation sources such as prenatal classes, physician offices, and other early parent learning/counseling avenues.