Effectiveness of Nutrition Counseling on Gestational Weight Gain Among Overweight and Obese Pregnant Women in Lebanon

A high percentage of women are either overweight or obese before pregnancy and many women are exceeding the gestational weight gain recommendations when pregnant. Excessive gestational weight gain increases the risk of maternal and fetal complications. To help with this, women need to be advised about the appropriate weight gain recommendation according to their pre-pregnancy body weight. One way to do this is by receiving dietary and lifestyle advices during prenatal visits. This study will contribute to knowledge that will inform dietary guidelines and public policy on how to manage gestational weight gain and thus improve maternal and fetal outcomes.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Overweight and Obesity During Pregnancy
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Intervention group that received detailed nutrition assessment, counseling, and monitoring

Detailed Description

If you choose to participate in the suggested study, you will be seen by a dietitian during the first trimester for an in-depth counseling session and provide you with individualized nutrition counseling regarding your physical activity, dietary, and weight gain goals. You will then be asked to self-monitor your diet, weight, and physical activity. Study staff will instruct you on how to keep weekly paper logs of weight, activity, and diet that you will share with your dietitian weekly or biweekly by telephone. In order to determine the total gestational weight gain and to determine the impact of nutrition intervention on the health of your baby, data collectors will review your medical record to obtain your weight at delivery, your infants' birthweight, and method of delivery.

Apart from the 30 minutes of your time taken during the nutrition counseling session and your dietary and activity commitment according to the recommendations, we can expect no risks or inconveniences for you. Your participation in the study is voluntary and you may withdraw your participation from the study at any time. Your personal health information will be treated as confidential and all persons involved in the study are committed to respecting your privacy.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 60
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Lebanon
  • Beirut, Lebanon
    • Lebanese International University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• In their first trimester of pregnancy
• With a pre-pregnancy Body Mass Index (BMI) ranging from 25 to 35 kg/m², classifying them as overweight or obese.

• Women were required to be attending regular prenatal care visits at randomly selected gynecology clinics

  • The ability and willingness to meet with a licensed dietitian for individualized counseling.
  • Commitment to follow the recommended nutrition and physical activity guidelines throughout the duration of the study

Exclusion Criteria:

• Contraindications to exercise
• Medical conditions such as uncontrolled hypertension, insulin-dependent diabetes, uncontrolled thyroid disease, multiple gestation, persistent bleeding in the first trimester
• History of recurrent miscarriages.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: nutrition counseling provided by licensed dietitians; The intervention group participated in an initial 30-60-minute nutrition counseling session with a registered dietitian during the first trimester. Counseling emphasized balanced nutrition, limiting added sugars and unhealthy fats, and promoting whole foods. Individualized weight gain targets were set based on Institute of Medicine (IOM) guidelines of 2009: 6.8-11.4 kg for overweight women and 5-9 kg for women with obesity. Participants were also advised to engage in 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week, as recommended by health guidelines. Follow-ups were conducted every 10-15 days via smartphone applications (e.g., WhatsApp, Zoom) with an average of 14 nutrition follow-ups throughout the intervention. The follow-ups were utilizing asynchronous telehealth platform that was secure and user-friendly.	Behavioral: Intervention group that received detailed nutrition assessment, counseling, and monitoring; The intervention group participated in an initial 30-60-minute nutrition counseling session with a registered dietitian during the first trimester. Counseling emphasized balanced nutrition, limiting added sugars and unhealthy fats, and promoting whole foods. Individualized weight gain targets were set based on Institute of Medicine (IOM) guidelines of 2009: 6.8-11.4 kg for overweight women and 5-9 kg for women with obesity. Participants were also advised to engage in 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week, as recommended by health guidelines. Follow-ups were conducted every 10-15 days via smartphone applications (e.g., WhatsApp, Zoom) with an average of 14 nutrition follow-ups throughout the intervention. The follow-ups were utilizing asynchronous telehealth platform that was secure
No Intervention: Control group; Usual prenatal care

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Gestational weight gain	Total weight gained during pregnancy	6-8 months period

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
adherence to IOM weight gain guidelines	comparing actual gestational weight gain to guidelines based on pre-BMI category	1 month

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Nicosia

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 1, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 20, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): June 20, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 30, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 30, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): December 12, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): December 12, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 30, 2025
• Last Verified: February 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Nutrition, pregnancy, obesity, dietary intervention, gestational weight gain
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nutrition Disorders; Overnutrition; Body Weight; Body Weight Changes; Weight Gain; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Gestational Weight Gain; Overweight; Obesity; Health Services; Health Care Facilities Workforce and Services; Community Health Services; Behavioral Disciplines and Activities; Mental Health Services; Counseling
• Other Study ID Numbers: LIUIRB-200706-JR1

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED
• IPD Plan Description: It depends on what information is needed. Values like gestational weight gain of participants can be shared.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No