Funded Projects

Smoking cessation during pregnancy can have substantial health benefits for both the mother and the offspring 1. One potential negative consequence is that smoking cessation often leads to overeating and excessive weight gain 2 perhaps due to increases in energy intake and changes in macronutrient preferences 3 that are not well understood, but could potentially be driven by changes in taste sensitivity after cessation. To date, no one has assessed motivation to eat, or the reinforcing value (RRV) of food, before and after smoking cessation to determine if increased RRV mediates increased energy intake and weight gain. Furthermore, no studies have been conducted in pregnant women who quit smoking to assess how shifts in RRV of food impact maternal weight gain. Finally, no one has closely examined changes in taste sensitivity and its relationship to RRV of food across pregnancy or after smoking cessation. We have shown that greater RRV of food is associated with excess weight gain 4 and that people who experience an increase in RRV of food over time gain significantly more weight than those who have stable or decreased RRV of food 4. A recent study suggests that greater RRV of food during pregnancy is associated with excess maternal weight gain 5. Much more work needs to be done to explore the relationship between RRV of food during pregnancy and excessive maternal weight gain and well as whether other factors, such as smoking cessation and infant feeding, that could mediate or moderate these relationships. The purpose of the proposed study is to examine the relationship among changes in RRV of food across pregnancy, maternal weight gain, and infant growth in women who are have quit smoking compared with women who continue to smoke and a non-smoking reference group. We will also examine potential moderators of this relationship, including socioeconomic status, pre-pregnancy BMI, and infant feeding modality.