Diet Quality and Physical Activity at 3-4 Years Following a Hypertensive Pregnancy: A Blood Pressure Postpartum Cross-Sectional Sub-Study.
5 affiliations
- 1The George Institute for Global Health, UNSW Medicine and Health, Sydney, Australia.
- 2Tsinghua Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
- 3School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine and Health, Sydney, Australia.
- 4School of Population Health, UNSW Medicine and Health, Sydney, Australia.
- 5Department of Women's and Children's Health, St George Hospital, Sydney, Australia.
Abstract
Introduction
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), as well as being a leading global cause of maternal mortality, confer lifelong increased maternal cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Although lifestyle interventions may mitigate these risks, robust evidence remains scarce.Material and methods
This cross-sectional sub-study of the three-armed, multicenter BP² randomised controlled trial primarily assessed diet quality, physical activity, and their association with CVD risk markers in women 3-4 years after HDP, following different BP² postpartum care/lifestyle intervention strategies implemented between six and 12 months post-HDP. Diet quality was evaluated using the Australian Recommended Food Score (ARFS) derived from the Australian Eating Survey. Duration of moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was estimated using the International Physical activity Questionnaire. Associations between key lifestyle outcomes and clinical cardiovascular markers were examined using linear regression models. Secondary lifestyle outcomes include estimated daily energy intake, food consumption, nutrients, estimated duration and engagement of specific physical activity types, and sedentary behaviour.Results
In 180 participants, the mean ARFS was 33.8 ± 10.5 (SD), with 61% scoring < 38 indicating suboptimal diet quality. Median MVPA was 515 (IQR 690) minutes/week with 87% meeting physical activity recommendations of at least 150 min/week. No significant differences were observed across BP² lifestyle intervention strategies, HDP subtypes (chronic hypertension, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, and superimposed preeclampsia), or baseline body mass index (BMI) categories (< 30 vs. ≥ 30 kg/m²). Neither ARFS nor MVPA showed significant associations with blood pressure, BMI, or waist circumference.Conclusions
Suboptimal diet was observed 3-4 years after HDP despite prior lifestyle interventions, highlighting the need for postpartum support and long-term lifestyle interventions to reduce CVD risks post-HDP.
Related
- Changes in Nutrition and Physical Activity up to 4 Years Following a Hypertensive Pregnancy: A Blood Pressure Postpartum Longitudinal Sub-Study
- Assessment of Persistent Postpartum Hypertension Following Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy: A Scoping Review
- Evaluation of a postpartum cardiovascular risk clinic after hypertensive disorder of pregnancy: First-year experience.
- A novel postpartum hemorrhage prediction model for women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in secondary hospitals of middle-income settings
- Prospective Longitudinal Assessment of Central Hemodynamic Profile in Normotensive, Hypertensive and Preeclamptic Women in Pregnancy and Postpartum
BibTeX
@article{chen2026diet,
title = {{Diet Quality and Physical Activity at 3-4 Years Following a Hypertensive Pregnancy: A Blood Pressure Postpartum Cross-Sectional Sub-Study.}},
author = {Yining Chen and Megan Gow and Katie Harris and Lynne Roberts and Amanda Henry},
journal = {Journal of human nutrition and dietetics : the official journal of the British Dietetic Association},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1111/jhn.70356},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42875917},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Diet Quality and Physical Activity at 3-4 Years Following a Hypertensive Pregnancy: A Blood Pressure Postpartum Cross-Sectional Sub-Study.
AU - Yining Chen
AU - Megan Gow
AU - Katie Harris
AU - Lynne Roberts
AU - Amanda Henry
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Journal of human nutrition and dietetics : the official journal of the British Dietetic Association
DO - 10.1111/jhn.70356
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42875917
AB - Introduction Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), as well as being a leading global cause of maternal mortality, confer lifelong increased maternal cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Although lifestyle interventions may mitigate these risks, robust evidence remains scarce.Material and methods This cross-sectional sub-study of the three-armed, multicenter BP² randomised controlled trial primarily assessed diet quality, physical activity, and their association with CVD risk markers in women 3-4 years after HDP, following different BP² postpartum care/lifestyle intervention strategies implemented between six and 12 months post-HDP. Diet quality was evaluated using the Australian Recommended Food Score (ARFS) derived from the Australian Eating Survey. Duration of moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was estimated using the International Physical activity Questionnaire. Associations between key lifestyle outcomes and clinical cardiovascular markers were examined using linear regression models. Secondary lifestyle outcomes include estimated daily energy intake, food consumption, nutrients, estimated duration and engagement of specific physical activity types, and sedentary behaviour.Results In 180 participants, the mean ARFS was 33.8 ± 10.5 (SD), with 61% scoring < 38 indicating suboptimal diet quality. Median MVPA was 515 (IQR 690) minutes/week with 87% meeting physical activity recommendations of at least 150 min/week. No significant differences were observed across BP² lifestyle intervention strategies, HDP subtypes (chronic hypertension, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, and superimposed preeclampsia), or baseline body mass index (BMI) categories (< 30 vs. ≥ 30 kg/m²). Neither ARFS nor MVPA showed significant associations with blood pressure, BMI, or waist circumference.Conclusions Suboptimal diet was observed 3-4 years after HDP despite prior lifestyle interventions, highlighting the need for postpartum support and long-term lifestyle interventions to reduce CVD risks post-HDP.
SN - 0952-3871
SN - 1365-277X
ER -