Poster Presentation - SOMANZ ASM Society of Obstetric Medicine of Australia and New Zealand ASM 2023

The association between nutrition, physical activity and cardiometabolic health 6-months following a hypertensive pregnancy: a BP2 sub-study (#50)

Camilla Hirsch 1 , Lynne Roberts 2 3 , Justine Salisbury 4 , Elizabeth Denney-Wilson 5 , Amanda Henry 1 2 3 , Megan Gow 2 6 7
  1. Discipline of Women’s Health, School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine and Health, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  2. Women’s and Children’s Health, St George Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  3. St George and Sutherland Clinical Campus, School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine and Health, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  4. NSW Ministry of Health, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  5. Susan Wakil School of Nursing, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  6. Discipline of Paediatrics, School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine and Health, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  7. Children’s Hospital Westmead Clinical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Background

Following hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), which complicate 5-10% of pregnancies worldwide, women are at an increased risk of long-term cardiometabolic and cardiovascular disease (CVD). These risks may be mitigated by improving lifestyle behaviours, however little is known about these behaviours in the early postpartum period following HDP. This sub-study aimed to describe (a) lifestyle behaviours 6-months following HDP in four subgroups and (b) associations between lifestyle behaviours and cardiometabolic outcomes. Subgroups were chronic hypertension (CH), gestational hypertension (GH), preeclampsia, and preeclampsia superimposed on chronic hypertension (CH+PE).

 

Methods

This is a cross sectional sub-study of the BP2 study, which is a 3-arm randomised control trial conducted at six Sydney hospitals. At 6-months postpartum the self-reported NSW Population Health Survey assessed diet (fruit and vegetable serves/day) and physical activity (moderate-vigorous activity minutes/week and number of physically active sessions), and the BP2 study survey collected demographic data. Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and blood pressure (BP) were measured at a study visit. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA and Spearman’s correlations were performed using SPSS version 26 in the analysis of this baseline data.

 

Results

Of 484 participating women (16% CH, 23% GH, 55% preeclampsia, and 6% CH+PE), 62% were overweight or obese and median BMI was in the overweight range. Only 6% met the recommended five vegetable and two fruit serves per day, and 43% did not meet the recommended 150 minutes of moderate-vigorous physical activity in five sessions per week. Median systolic and diastolic BPs were approaching hypertensive range. Adherence to both diet and physical activity recommendations correlated with more favourable cardiometabolic outcomes, including lower BMI, waist circumference, systolic and diastolic BP. As expected, intake of processed meats, salty snacks and soft-drinks had the converse effect.

 

Conclusions

Overall, at 6-months post-HDP dietary intake and physical activity did not meet the recommended standards for most women, which may influence their future cardiometabolic health. Interventions which improve these lifestyle behaviours post-HDP are needed to reduce BMI, BP and long-term CVD morbidity and mortality in this high-risk population.