Factors Affecting Enrollment in a Nutrition Intervention Program for Low‐Income Mothers

Background Mothers In Motion ( MIM ) was a community based intervention study. MIM was designed to help overweight and obese mothers aged 18–39 year old prevent weight gain via promotion of stress management, healthy eating and physical activity. Objective This study explored whether stress, depression, chaotic life, smoking, and employment affected enrollment among low‐income overweight and obese young mothers who completed a baseline phone interview. Methods Women 6 weeks to 5 years postpartum were recruited from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) in Michigan in 2012–2015. Prior to enrollment in MIM , recruited participants completed a baseline phone interview and returned to the WIC office within 2 weeks of signing a consent form. Factors affecting enrollment were explored via logistic regression analyses. Results Of 697 recruited women who completed a baseline phone interview, 612 (87.8%) returned to WIC to be randomized and enroll in MIM . Women who lived in chaotic life situations and were smokers were more likely to enroll than non‐smoking women with less chaotic lives (OR 1.03 95% CI 1.00–1.07). Also, women who experienced higher stress levels and were unemployed were more likely to enroll than women who had a lower stress levels and were employed (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.02–1.21). Stress, depression and chaotic life were not directly associated with enrollment. No interactions among stress, depression and chaotic life were detected. Conclusion Neither stress nor chaotic life was independently associated with enrollment. However, chaotic life coupled with smoking appeared to increase enrollment while enrollment rates were lower for women with low stress coupled with being employed. Support or Funding Information NIH R18‐DK‐083934‐01