Background:
Studies show that post-partum weight retention is one of the contributors to the obesity epidemic in the United States. According to Crowell (1995), “women who gain excessive weight during pregnancy are at risk for postpartum weight retention and long-term obesity.”



Objectives:
(1) To promote healthy weight among overweight/obese port-partum Black and Hispanic women, (2) to promote healthier food choices based on the cultural preference of each ethnic group, (3) to increase physical activity, (4) to train family leaders to implement healthier food choices to improve the health of the entire family.



Methods:
BABY uses a modified version of the highly successful Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) lifestyle intervention curriculum entitled Lifestyle Balance (Diabetes Care, 2002). BABY implements a cross cultural intervention, recommends physical activity and behavior modification. The participants are selected from the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program based on post-partum status and BMI. To promote better cultural identification, BABY uses lifestyle coaches (nutritionists) of the same ethnicity as the participants.


Results:
97% of participants completing the program lost weight; total weight loss of 352.2 lbs; 53.1% attained at least 5% decrease of initial body weight; total BMI decrease of 10.9%; average waist circumference decrease of 3.1 inches;
57.4% increase in nutrition knowledge, food choices and behaviors as evidenced by pre/post surveys;18.8% increase in the number of women that reported water consumption as evidenced by pre/post surveys; 70.1% of participants reported engaging in 30 – 60 minutes of daily physical activity; 15.0% of the participants did not know eating too much fat was related to heart disease; 43.0% of participants eat when they are depressed or stressed (consistent with national data) and a large number of participants (> than 50%) ate foods high in fats such as cheeseburgers, fried rice, fried chicken wings, pizza, etc. and consume large number of regular sodas.


Conclusion and implications for practice:
The cultural and linguistic appropriateness of the intervention allow for the positive implementation of the BABY Program, thus improving the health and behaviors of the participants, the community and society.