Development and delivery of a habit-based lifestyle intervention to pregnant women with overweight or obesity

This PhD involved: 1) creating a questionnaire to explore people’s experiences of having excess weight, gain an understanding of the level of weight bias in the UK and Ireland, and to determine if certain terminology to describe weight is preferred in different contexts; 2) conducting a rapid review to identify key components of successful gestational weight gain interventions; 3) developing a habit-based intervention (the Healthy Habits in Pregnancy and Beyond intervention, HHIPBe), and an enhanced version of the intervention (HHIPBe+), for pregnant women with a body mass index between 25 and 38kg/m2; and 4) assessing the feasibility and acceptability of the HHIPBe+ intervention in a single arm, non-randomised feasibility study for pregnant women.

Responses to the questionnaire indicated that weight stigma is prevalent in society and highlights that people can be stigmatised in nearly every aspect of life. There is work to be done in all areas of society to address these issues and make society a more inclusive place for all, regardless of body size. The HHIPBe+ feasibility study was found to be acceptable to pregnant women and provides valuable information for future studies.