Freeland-Graves, Jeanne H.2015-04-282018-01-222015-04-282018-01-222006-05http://hdl.handle.net/2152/29646textThe purpose of this research was to discern associations of nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and diet with postpartum weight retention 1 year following childbirth. Subjects for this research were low-income, Hispanic, non-Hispanic black, and non-Hispanic white women recruited in a hospital 0 -- 1 day postpartum. In study 1, a nutrition attitudes scale was developed and validated in 134 low-income women at 1.5 months post-delivery. The final scale was administered to a second group of 206 women at 1.5, 6 and 12 months postpartum. Attitudes at each time were compared to demographics and weight status. Obese women at 1 year had higher barriers to healthful eating subscale averages than normal and overweight subjects at 1.5 and 6 months, and overweight participants at 12 months. Obese individuals also had greater emotional eating subscale scores than both normal and overweight subjects at 12 months. In study 2, a test of general nutrition knowledge was developed and validated in a sample of 151 women at 1 day post-delivery. The validated instrument was then administered to a test sample of 140 women at 0 and 12 months postpartum. Body weights were measured at 1.5, 6, and 12 months and height 1.5 months. Women with < 5% weight retention at 1 year had greater knowledge at 0 (53% vs.49%, p<0.05) and 12 months (55% vs. 51%, p <0.05) than those with >̲5%. Women who lactated >̲ 6 months had more knowledge than those who lactated < 6 months. In study 3, 182 women visited the research site at 1.5, 3, 6, and 12 months postpartum where dietary data were collected via one 24-hour recall and 2 days of diet records. Weight status was measured during each clinic visit; height was measured at 1.5 months. At 1 year postpartum, obese women had a greater percentage of energy from carbohydrates than their normal weight counterparts (52.5 % vs. 49.6%, p<0.05). Less than half of the population met the recommendations for folate, calcium, magnesium, and vitamins B6, D, E and C at all time points, regardless of ethnicity, BMI and lactation status.electronicengCopyright is held by the author. Presentation of this material on the Libraries' web site by University Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin was made possible under a limited license grant from the author who has retained all copyrights in the works.Nutrition knowledgePostpartum weight retentionDietLow-income womenMinority womenThesis