Weight management in postpartum women - An Indian perspective

Abstract

Background and aims: This narrative review is intended to present an evidence and opinion-based weight management module for Indian postpartum women to be used by clinicians.

Material and methods: Electronic databases such as PubMed and Google Scholar were accessed to extract relevant studies to derive evidence-based information. The reference list of the extracted studies was also checked to obtain further relevant articles. The opinion-based information was achieved from the consensus among the gynaecologists, nutritionists and doctors from Medicine according to their practical experiences in real time. In this review, we have used the term "postpartum" to represent the time period of two years after delivery.

Results: A postpartum weight management module consisting of information about diet, physical activity, sleep and breastfeeding was devised to be used in regular clinical practice, particularly in the Indian settings.

Conclusion: Postpartum women deal with various unique challenges as compared to other population groups. Individualised weight management strategies should be adopted to facilitate sustainable postpartum weight management.

Keywords: India; Post delivery obesity; Post delivery weight gain; Post delivery weight loss; Post delivery weight management; Postpartum obesity; Postpartum weight retention; Predictors; Weight management.