Effectiveness of an intervention focusing on diet and walking during pregnancy in the primary health care service.

Interventions during prenatal care can mitigate negative outcomes of a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy diet during pregnancy. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention that promoted healthy diet and leisure-time walking during antenatal care in a pragmatic, controlled, non-randomized intervention study. Physicians and nurses from all health care units of the Family Health Strategy model of health assistance participated in educational training to promote leisure-time walking and healthy diet during antenatal care visits. Pregnant women who received health care from these professionals constituted the intervention group (n = 181). The control group (n = 172) included pregnant women who received routine antenatal care, in health care units of the traditional model of health assistance. Data were collected in each trimester of pregnancy. Diet was investigated using a food frequency questionnaire adapted from Risk and Protective Factors Surveillance System for Chronic Non-Comunicable Diseases Through Telephone Interview (Vigitel). Leisure-time walking in a typical week was assessed using questions from the Physical Activity in Pregnancy Questionnaire. There were positive effects on leisure-time walking during the second trimester and the third trimester of pregnancy and on the women who achieved 150 minutes per week of walking during the third trimester. The intervention reduced the risk of pregnant women consuming soft drinks and/or commercially prepared cookies in the third trimester. This lifestyle intervention was partially effective, tripling the proportion of pregnant women who achieved the recommended walking time and reducing by half the proportion of women who had a high weekly consumption of soft drinks and industrially processed cookies.

Effectiveness of an intervention focusing on diet and walking during pregnancy in the primary health care service / A efetividade de uma intervenção na atenção primária voltada para a dieta e caminhadas durante a gravidez / Efectividad de una intervención centrada en la dieta y paseos durante la gestación en el servicio de atención primaria en salud

Abstract: Interventions during prenatal care can mitigate negative outcomes of a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy diet during pregnancy. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention that promoted healthy diet and leisure-time walking during antenatal care in a pragmatic, controlled, non-randomized intervention study. Physicians and nurses from all health care units of the Family Health Strategy model of health assistance participated in educational training to promote leisure-time walking and healthy diet during antenatal care visits. Pregnant women who received health care from these professionals constituted the intervention group (n = 181). The control group (n = 172) included pregnant women who received routine antenatal care, in health care units of the traditional model of health assistance. Data were collected in each trimester of pregnancy. Diet was investigated using a food frequency questionnaire adapted from Risk and Protective Factors Surveillance System for Chronic Non-Comunicable Diseases Through Telephone Interview (Vigitel). Leisure-time walking in a typical week was assessed using questions from the Physical Activity in Pregnancy Questionnaire. There were positive effects on leisure-time walking during the second trimester and the third trimester of pregnancy and on the women who achieved 150 minutes per week of walking during the third trimester. The intervention reduced the risk of pregnant women consuming soft drinks and/or commercially prepared cookies in the third trimester. This lifestyle intervention was partially effective, tripling the proportion of pregnant women who achieved the recommended walking time and reducing by half the proportion of women who had a high weekly consumption of soft drinks and industrially processed cookies.

Resumo: As intervenções durante o acompanhamento pré-natal podem mitigar os desfechos negativos do sedentarismo e da dieta não saudável durante a gravidez. Os autores buscaram avaliar a efetividade de uma intervenção de promoção de dieta saudável e caminhadas no lazer durante o acompanhamento pré-natal, através de um estudo de intervenção pragmático, controlado, não-randomizado. Médicos e enfermeiros de todas as unidades da Estratégia Saúde da Família participaram da capacitação na promoção de caminhadas e diet saudável, como parte do acompanhamento pré-natal. O grupo da intervenção consistia em gestantes que receberam cuidados desses profissionais (n = 181). O grupo controle (n = 172) incluía as gestantes que recebiam os cuidados pré-natais usuais, nas unidades do modelo assistencial tradicional. Os dados eram coletados em cada trimestre da gestação. A dieta era investigada com um questionário de frequência alimentar, adaptado do Vigilância de Fatores de Risco e Proteção para Doenças Crônicas por Inquérito Telefônico (Vigitel). As caminhadas no lazer em uma semana típica eram avaliadas com perguntas do Physical Activity in Pregnancy Questionnaire. Houve efeitos positivos sobre o tempo de caminhada no segundo e terceiro trimestres da gestação e nas mulheres que atingiam 150 minutos semanais de caminhadas no terceiro trimestre. A intervenção reduziu o risco de gestantes consumirem refrigerantes e/ou biscoitos industrializados no terceiro trimestre. A intervenção no estilo de vida foi parcialmente efetiva, triplicando a proporção de gestantes que atingiam o tempo recomendado de caminhada e reduzindo pela metade a proporção de mulheres com alto consumo semanal de refrigerantes e biscoitos industrializados.

Resumen: Las intervenciones durante el cuidado prenatal pueden mitigar los resultados negativos de un estilo de vida sedentario y una dieta insana durante el embarazo. Nuestro objetivo fue evaluar la efectividad de una intervención que promovió una dieta saludable y los paseos en el tiempo de ocio, durante el cuidado prenatal, en un estudio pragmático, controlado y de intervención no aleatoria. Médicos y enfermeras de todas las unidades de cuidado de la Estrategia de Salud de la Familia, modelo de asistencia a la salud, participaron en la formación educacional para promover los paseos durante el tiempo de ocio, así como una dieta saludable durante las visitas de cuidado prenatal. Las mujeres embarazadas que recibieron asistencia de estos profesionales constituyeron el grupo de intervención (n = 181). El grupo de control (n = 172) incluyó a mujeres embarazadas, con una rutina de cuidados prenatales, en unidades de atención del modelo tradicional de asistencia en salud. Los datos fueron recabados en cada trimestre de embarazo. La dieta fue investigada usando el cuestionario de frecuencia de comidas adaptado del Vigilancia de Factores de Riesgo y Protección para Enfermedades Crónicas No Transmisibles por Entrevista Telefónica (Vigitel). Los paseos en el tiempo de ocio en una semana típica se evaluaron usando preguntas del Physical Activity in Pregnancy Questionnaire. Hubo efectos positivos por los paseos durante el tiempo de ocio en el segundo y tercer trimestre de embarazo, así como en las mujeres que alcanzaron 150 minutos por semana de paseos durante el tercer trimestre. La intervención redujo el riesgo de mujeres embarazadas que consumían refrescos y/o galletas empaquetadas en el tercer trimestre. La intervención en el estilo de vida fue parcialmente efectiva, triplicando la proporción de mujeres embarazadas que lograron el tiempo de paseos recomendados y redujeron a la mitad la proporción de mujeres que tuvieron una alta frecuencia semanal de consumo de refrescos y galletas procesadas industrialmente.