An Exercise Intervention to Prevent Gestational Diabetes

Individually Tailored (IT) Exercise Intervention This intervention is designed to increase the amount of physical activity incorporated into the daily lifestyle of pregnant women, primarily through increased walking, with the ultimate goal of achieving the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) exercise goals for pregnant women. These goals are the same as the Surgeon General's Guidelines for physical activity for nonpregnant individuals (30 minutes or more or moderate activity on most days of the week).The intervention includes: 1) individually tailored print-based materials (i.e., individually-tailored reports and stage-matched manuals), 2) self-monitoring materials, and 3) goal setting.

The comparison intervention consists of a series of informational booklets published by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists on general issues related to health and wellness during pregnancy. These include alcohol and drug use during pregnancy, easing back pain, as well as the Pregnancy Fitness brochure on the safety of exercise during pregnancy. These booklets are selected to represent high-quality, standard, low-cost, self-help material currently available to the public.