What question did this study set out to answer?

To assess the efficacy of lifestyle interventions on dietary and physical activity outcomes in women after hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.

February 14, 2026NutrientsOpen Access

Lifestyle Outcomes Six and Twelve Months After Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy: A Blood Pressure Postpartum Sub-Study

Q: What are the key findings of this study?

Extended lifestyle intervention increased vegetable intake from 2.0 to 3.0 serves/day at 12 months postpartum compared to no significant change in usual care group (p = 0.001).

Q: What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: RCT. Population: Women aged ≥18 years with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (chronic hypertension, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, or preeclampsia superimposed on chronic hypertension) at 6 months postpartum (n=405). Intervention: Extended lifestyle intervention involving 6-month telephone coaching program vs. Optimised usual care with general health information; Brief education intervention with individual cardiovascular risk assessment and lifestyle counselling. Primary outcome: Lifestyle outcomes including vegetable serves/day, fruit serves/day, and time spent in physical activity per week at 12 months postpartum (p = 0.001 for increase in vegetable intake in extended lifestyle group from 6 to 12 months, p=0.001).

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Key result

Extended lifestyle intervention increases vegetable intake by ~50% at 12 months postpartum versus usual care.

p = 0.001 for increase in vegetable intake in extended lifestyle group from 6 to 12 months
P=0.001
n=405

Why the study?

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy increase cardiovascular disease risk, but few studies have explored the efficacy of lifestyle interventions to improve cardiovascular disease risk post-HDP.

Do brief or extended lifestyle interventions improve dietary and physical activity outcomes in women post-hypertensive disorders of pregnancy?

Population

405 women post-HDP from six hospitals across Sydney, Australia

Comparison

Usual care vs brief education vs extended lifestyle coaching programme

Design

Sub-study of a randomised controlled trial

Follow-up

12M

Authors

JZJ ZhangChina National Health Development Research Center LRLynne M. RobertsUniversity of Technology Sydney KSKaylee SlaterThe University of Sydney

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Extended coaching increases vegetable intake postpartum; extends RCT evidence for intensive lifestyle interventions targeting diet in this high-risk group.

Key Points

To assess the efficacy of lifestyle interventions on dietary and physical activity outcomes in women after hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.
Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: usual care, brief education, or extended lifestyle coaching.
Dietary intake and physical activity were assessed at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months post-intervention.
Cardiometabolic measures were collected to evaluate health outcomes.
Group 3 increased vegetable intake from 2.0 to 3.0 servings per day at 12M (p = 0.001).
Groups 2 and 3 reported greater influence of nutritional information on food choices at 12M (p = 0.010 and p < 0.001).
Higher vegetable and fruit intake at 12M correlated with lower BMI and waist circumference (p = 0.006, p = 0.003).

Study Design

Type

RCT (n=405)

Blinding

Open-label (participants not blinded)

Randomization

1:1:1 randomization stratified by hospital, parity and BMI

Multicenter

Yes

Structured PICO

Do brief or extended lifestyle interventions improve dietary and physical activity outcomes in women post-hypertensive disorders of pregnancy?

Population

405 women post-hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) from six hospitals across Sydney, Australia (Group 1 n=129, Group 2 n=137, Group 3 n=139).

Intervention

Brief education (usual care plus individualised cardiovascular risk assessment and lifestyle counselling) or extended lifestyle intervention (brief education components plus enrolment in a six-month telephone coaching programme).

Comparator

Usual care (general postpartum health information).

Outcome

Dietary and physical activity outcomes at 6 and 12 months assessed using the NSW Population Health Survey.patient reported

Main Result

Effect estimate: p = 0.001 for increase in vegetable intake in extended lifestyle group from 6 to 12 months

Absolute Event Rate: 3% vs 2%

p-value: p=0.001

Intensive lifestyle interventions, including telephone coaching, improve vegetable intake and nutrition awareness at 12 months in women with prior hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, which correlates with improved cardiometabolic measures.

Limitations

Self-reported diet and physical activity measures subject to recall bias
Underreporting in overweight populations possible
No significant changes in fruit intake or physical activity observed
Short 6-month follow-up period may be insufficient to detect cardiometabolic changes
Indigenous Australian women underrepresented

Cite This Study

Zhang et al. (2026) conducted an RCT in Women aged ≥18 years with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (chronic hypertension, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, or preeclampsia superimposed on chronic hypertension) at 6 months postpartum (n=405). Extended lifestyle intervention involving 6-month telephone coaching program vs. Optimised usual care with general health information; Brief education intervention with individual cardiovascular risk assessment and lifestyle counselling was evaluated on Lifestyle outcomes including vegetable serves/day, fruit serves/day, and time spent in physical activity per week at 12 months postpartum (p = 0.001 for increase in vegetable intake in extended lifestyle group from 6 to 12 months, p=0.001). Extended lifestyle intervention increased vegetable intake from 2.0 to 3.0 serves/day at 12 months postpartum compared to no significant change in usual care group (p = 0.001).

synapsesocial.com/papers/699010f22ccff479cfe574ed https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18040610

Topics

Hypertension management

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Implication

Extended coaching increases vegetable intake postpartum; extends RCT evidence for intensive lifestyle interventions targeting diet in this high-risk group.

Lifestyle Outcomes Six and Twelve Months After Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy: A Blood Pressure Postpartum Sub-Study

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Study Design

Structured PICO

Main Result

Limitations

Cite This Study

Topics

Lifestyle Outcomes Six and Twelve Months After Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy: A Blood Pressure Postpartum Sub-Study

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Study Design

Structured PICO

Main Result

Limitations

Cite This Study

Also Consider

Topics

Also Consider