Page 142 - Pro-active Management of Women’s Health after Cardiometabolic Complicated Pregnancies

140 | Part 3 Lifestyle intervention ABSTRACT
Objective To describe motivators and barriers to the adoption of a healthy postpartum lifestyle after a pregnancy complicated by preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, and/or gestational diabetes.
Methods 36 women with complicated pregnancies participated in six focus group interviews that aimed to explore perceptions of modifiable determinants of postpartum lifestyle.
Results Although women expressed that they intended to live a healthy postpartum lifestyle, it was generally not achieved. Motivators included improving their own current health condition as well as modeling a healthy lifestyle for their children. Important barriers were reported to be lack of knowledge, poor recovery and lack of professional support after delivery.
Conclusions The reported motivators and barriers can be used to develop a postpartum lifestyle intervention.