A Systematic Review and Bayesian Network Meta-Analysis Comparing In-Person, Remote, and Blended Interventions in Physical Activity, Diet, Education, and Behavioral Modification on Gestational Weight Gain among Overweight or Obese Pregnant Individuals

Background

Despite the well-documented adverse outcomes associated with obesity during pregnancy, this condition remains a promising modifiable risk factor.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to ascertain the most effective treatment modalities for gestational weight gain (GWG) in pregnant women classified as overweight or obese.

Methods

A systematic search was conducted across 4 electronic databases: Embase, EBSCOhost, PubMed, and Web of Science. To assess the quality of evidence, the Confidence In Network Meta-Analysis (CINeMA) approach, grounded in the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation framework, was employed. A Bayesian network meta-analysis was conducted to synthesize the comparative effectiveness of treatment modalities based on GWG outcomes.

Results

The analysis incorporated 60 randomized controlled trials, encompassing 16,615 participants. Modes of intervention administration were classified as remote (R: eHealth [e] and mHealth [m]), in-person (I), and a combination of both (I+R). The interventions comprised 5 categories: education (E), physical activity (PA), dietary (D), behavior modification (B), and combinations thereof. The quality of the evidence, as evaluated by CINeMA, ranged from very low to high. Compared to the control group, the I-D intervention (mean difference [MD]: −1.27; 95% confidence interval [CI]: −2.23, −0.32), I-PADB (MD: −0.60, 95% CI: −1.19, −0.00), and I-B (MD: −0.34, 95% CI: −0.57, −0.10) interventions showed significant efficacy in reducing GWG.

Conclusions

Preliminary findings suggest that the I-D intervention is the most efficacious in managing GWG among pregnant women who are overweight or obese, followed by I-PADB and I-B+R-B(m) treatments. These conclusions are drawn from evidence of limited quality and directness, including insufficient data on PA components used in the interventions. Owing to the absence of robust, direct evidence delineating significant differences among various GWG management strategies, it is tentatively proposed that the I-D intervention is likely the most effective approach.

This study was registered with PROSPERO as CRD42023473627.