The importance of maternal lifestyle including nutrition and physical activity in relation to the short- and long-term birth outcomes is increasingly featured in recent literature. Intrauterine nutrition has long been the subject of investigation suggesting poor nutrition during pregnancy as a risk factor for adulthood diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular conditions. These chronic conditions are among the top health risk factors in most contemporary societies. However, more recently attention has been given to excessive gestational weight gain and obesity as they are shown to significantly increase risks of complications during pregnancy and birth as well as elevating the risk of obesity in the offspring.

While many western countries are mainly facing the challenge of obesity, most developing countries suffer from a dichotomy of ill health, resulting from both undernutrition and a rising trend in obesity affecting mothers and their babies. There is a growing appreciation of interventions including elements of health psychology and behaviour change techniques in supporting health professionals to guide mothers in adapting healthy lifestyle. These are also used to inform and motivate mothers to improve lifestyle during pregnancy to achieve healthier birth outcomes. With emerging technology and facilitated access to internet or mobile phones, the digital technology is often used as a vehicle for information sharing and support services for behaviour change in managing weight during pregnancy and postpartum.

This special issue invites both original qualitative and quantitative manuscripts as well as reviews examining all aspects of maternal weight including obesity, undernutrition, excessive and inadequate gestational weight gain, and lifestyle changes during pregnancy and postpartum.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Interventions to optimize gestational weight gain for all particularly for mothers with obesity
• Interventions to reduce postpartum weight retention
• Interventions to enhance maternal weight gain for those with inadequate gestational weight gain
• Lifestyle, nutrition, and physical activity associated with maternal obesity
• Interventions to enhance quality of diet, physical activity, and lifestyle for women before pregnancy, during pregnancy, and after birth
• Training for health professionals to provide effective and efficient antenatal and postnatal care for women with obesity in a nonstigmatising manner
• Examples of technology used to promote a healthy lifestyle and pregnancy to women and support health professionals to provide maternity care for women
• Observational studies exploring the effects of lifestyle on long- and short-term consequences of maternal obesity on mother and baby
• Explorative studies to identify the existing and optimum levels of gestational weight gain for women
• Explorative studies to identify the relationship between maternal obesity, weight gain, and psychosocial and demographic factors including ethnic status and socioeconomic status