Introduction: Postpartum Weight Retention (PPWR), which averages from 0.5-3kg, can increase the risk of adverse health like obesity, cardiometabolic issues, and other chronic illnesses. Due to infant-related sleep disruptions, late-night eating may be more common postpartum and has been speculated to contribute to PPWR. There are no known studies that have considered hourly nutrient intake among postpartum women despite it being a potential intervention target.
Methods: Women 5-24 weeks postpartum completed demographic surveys, meal timing surveys, and 24-hour diet recalls. Recalls were completed using the Automated Self-Administered Dietary Assessment Tool (ASA24). Participants were instructed to complete recalls on 2 weeks days and 1 weekend day. ASA24 recalls were used to characterize hourly intake of calories, carbohydrates, protein, fat, and added sugar. Additionally, dietary records were examined to characterize timing on weekdays and weekend days separately. Average daily eating windows (time from first to last caloric intake) were calculated for both weekdays and weekend days. Descriptive statistics (means ± SD and frequencies) were calculated to evaluate caregiver characteristics.
Results: Participants (n=21) had an average age of 33.8 ± 4.57. Majority of participants identified as Non-Hispanic White (81%) and were 16.8 ±6.87 weeks postpartum. Participants consumed 2390kcal and 2349kcal on weekdays and weekdays respectively. For both weekdays and weekends, the highest percentage consumption of calories was consumed in the evening (17:00-20:00). On both weekdays and weekend days the largest caloric intake occurred from 18:00-18:59. The average eating window on weekdays and weekends were 12:07 and 12:42 hours respectively.
Conclusion: The largest percentage of caloric intake was consumed in the evening hours on both weekdays and weekend days. Further investigation is necessary to understand how meal timing of postpartum women may be associated with their health outcomes and if meal timing interventions and recommendations may be beneficial for postpartum women. Understanding whether meal timing interventions and recommendations could be beneficial for postpartum women can help inform policies and interventions aimed at improving weight management and cardiometabolic health postpartum.