# Motivational Determinants of Postpartum Lifestyle Behaviors, Weight Retention, and Metabolic Syndrome

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · 2021 · $159,855

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Postpartum weight retention (i.e., not losing weight gained in pregnancy) affects 60% of women one year after
delivery, and many gain additional weight soon thereafter. Postpartum weight retention is associated with the
metabolic syndrome and obesity, which in turn increase risks for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and
adverse perinatal outcomes in later pregnancies. To date, lifestyle interventions to reduce postpartum weight
retention have met with limited success. To inform new interventions, this observational study will fill gaps in
knowledge about what motivates women to engage in healthy lifestyle behaviors during the unique transition
from pregnancy, when many women strive to make lifestyle changes to support a healthy delivery, to the
postpartum period, characterized by the intensified demands of parenthood such as sleep disruption,
breastfeeding, caretaking, and workforce transitions. Our organizing hypothesis is that enjoyment of specific
lifestyle behaviors (physical activity, self-weighing, and healthy eating), mediated by self-efficacy, is a distal
motivational determinant that longitudinally predicts corresponding lifestyle behaviors, postpartum weight
retention, and metabolic syndrome, while accounting for relevant factors unique to this stage of life (e.g., sleep
disruption). To achieve our goal of identifying modifiable targets for future interventions, we will conduct a
longitudinal study that efficiently leverages an ongoing pregnancy cohort of racially/ethnically diverse women
(R01 ES019196). This proposal will expand follow-up for 550 women with assessments of enjoyment, self-
efficacy, behavior, weight, and other factors at 6 weeks and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months postpartum. Metabolic
syndrome will be assessed in pregnancy using previously collected blood samples, and at 6, 12, and 24
months postpartum using newly collected samples. Strengths include a diverse sample and theory-driven,
longitudinal repeated measures design. We expect the findings to advance our understanding of modifiable,
individual-level determinants of obesity and adverse cardiometabolic outcomes in diverse populations, using a
mechanistic approach to behavior change over time.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10462352
- **Project number:** 3R01HL142996-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS
- **Principal Investigator:** Susan Denise Brown
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $159,855
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2019-01-15 → 2023-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10462352

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10462352, Motivational Determinants of Postpartum Lifestyle Behaviors, Weight Retention, and Metabolic Syndrome (3R01HL142996-03S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-11 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10462352. Licensed CC0.

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