Prenatal Obesity Prevention: Group vs Individual Counseling and Fruit and Vegetable Voucher Redemption

Top Things to Know

Group-based nutrition counseling, which may enhance motivation, social support, and practical understanding of how to use food as part of care.

Higher redemption was linked to counseling format and content.

Group nutrition counseling may strengthen the clinical and preventive value of food-based interventions for both maternal and child health.

Summary of Conclusion/Findings

This study examined whether the format and content of prenatal obesity prevention counseling were associated with redemption of fruit and vegetable (FV) vouchers among low-income Hispanic/Latina pregnant participants. Using a secondary analysis of a single-arm feasibility trial (n = 131), the authors found that participants who attended a higher proportion of counseling sessions in a group format redeemed a significantly greater percentage of FV vouchers than those who attended mostly individual sessions. Each additional group session attended was associated with an approximately 4–5% increase in voucher redemption. Importantly, this association was driven by group sessions focused on nutrition content, whereas group sessions focused on other lifestyle topics (e.g., stress management, parenting) were not associated with higher redemption. Group attendance did not affect whether participants redeemed at least one voucher, but rather how fully they utilized the vouchers they received. Overall, the findings suggest that the way nutrition support is delivered can meaningfully influence engagement with food-based resources.