Methods	Study design: Randomized controlled trial
	Unit of randomization: Individually randomised
	Type of study: Obesity Prevention
Participants	Location/setting: Antenatal care clinic, Center for Social and Preventive Medicine (CSPM), Pediatrics Hospital, Cairo University, Egypt
	Population: Not specified
	Sample size: 147
	Drop outs/withdrawal:
	Total = 31
	Lost to follow‐up = 10
	Unable to contact = 6
	Exclusions = 15 (six due to miscarriage, four due to abortion and five due to stillbirth)
	Socio‐demographics
	Age range: 20 to 30 years
	Occupation:
	Intervention: n (%)
	Housewife: 59 (73.7)
	Working: 21 (26.3)
	Control: n (%)
	Housewife: 51 (63.7)
	Working: 29 (36.3)
	Race: Food Program
	Education:
	Intervention: n (%)
	Illiterate (read and write): 24 (30.1)
	Basic education: 41 (51.2)
	Secondary and higher education: 15 (18.7)
	Control: n (%)
	Illiterate (read and write): 26 (32.5)
	Basic education: 33 (41.2)
	Secondary and higher education: 21 (26.3)
	Family income: Not specified
	Inclusion criteria:
	Primigravidae aged between 20 and 30 years in their first trimester (<12 weeks of gestation) of pregnancy, attending the selected “Antenatal Care” clinic, free from history of any chronic medical problems were recruited to participate
	Exclusion criteria:
	Women younger than 18 years (to avoid natural linear growth), having the history of previous abortion or stillbirth, presence of any chronic disease, and taking any type of medications that might interfere with the body weight (steroids, diuretics and thyroid hormones)
Interventions	Intervention (sample size):
	Received standard of care and attended six extra counselling session with a nutrition counsellor and fortnightly face‐to‐face appointments for a duration of 9 months.
	Intervention was delivered through a nutrition counsellor.
	(n = 75)
	Control (sample size):
	Participants of the control group received the standard maternity care. Women in standard care attended their regularly scheduled visits for a duration of 9 months.
	Intervention was delivered through a nutrition counsellor
	(n = 72)
	Training: Not specified
	Follow‐up:
	Women received standard nutrition counselling provided by the physicians and nurses based on the Maternal and child Health Program components along with prenatal care from 28 weeks of gestation till delivery
Outcomes	Primary outcomes: Not specified
	Secondary outcomes:
	Overweight
	Maternal anaemia
	Preterm birth
	Macrosomia
	Timing of outcome assessment: Not specified
Notes	Study start date: July 2015
	Study end date: April 2016
	Time period: 9 months
	Study country: Egypt
	Study limitations:
	Sizable amount of participants were illiterate, materials provided to illiterate participants were advised to get help from their educated spouse. Dropouts at end of study endorsed difficulty in follow‐up of the studied participants throughout the pregnancy until labour
	Funding source: Not specified
	Conflict of interest: Not specified