Evidence exists that reducing weight gain in obese women during pregnancy may reduce increases in fasting insulin concentration. Given that the Cree women of the James Bay, Que., region have high rates of gestational diabetes and type 2 diabetes, Dr. Katherine Gray-Donald and colleagues set out to determine if regular diet counselling and physical activity sessions could help reduce maternal weight gain.
Dr. Gray-Donald and colleagues report there were no significant differences between subjects and controls at 6 weeks post partum. The authors suggest that a culture that favours plumpness in women and the fact that the interventions may not have been intense enough in frequency of contact or approach to diet may have been contributing factors.
In a related commentary, written by a special working group of the Cree Regional Child and Family Services Committee, the authors suggest culturally appropriate ways of modifying interventions to reduce maternal weight gain and gestational diabetes.
Intervening to reduce weight gain in pregnancy and gestational diabetes mellitus among the Cree — K. Gray-Donald et al Planning research for greater community involvement and long-term benefit — Special Working Group of the Cree Regional Child and Family Services Committee
Canadian Medical Association Journal