Advice given by community members to pregnant women: a mixed methods study

Abstract

BackgroundSmoking and excess weight gain during pregnancy have been shown to have serious health consequences for both mothers and their infants. Advice from friends and family on these topics influences pregnant women’s behaviors. The purpose of our study was to compare the advice that community members give pregnant women about smoking versus the advice they give about pregnancy weight gain.MethodsA survey was sent via text messaging to adults in a diverse, low-income primary care clinic in 2015. Respondents were asked what advice (if any) they have given pregnant women about smoking or gestational weight gain and their comfort-level discussing the topics. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the sample population and to determine response rates. Open-ended responses were analyzed qualitatively using grounded theory analysis with an overall convergent parallel mixed methods design.ResultsRespondents (n = 370) were 77 % female, 40 % black, and 25 % reported education of high school or less. More respondents had spoken to pregnant women about smoking (40 %, n = 147) than weight gain (20 %, n = 73). Among individuals who had not discussed either topic (n = 181), more reported discomfort in talking about weight gain (65 %) compared to smoking (34 %; p < 0.0001). Advice about smoking during pregnancy (n = 148) was frequently negative, recommending abstinence and identifying smoking as harmful for baby and/or mother. Advice about weight gain in pregnancy (n = 74) revealed a breadth of messages, from reassurance about all weight gain (“Eat away” or “It’s ok if you are gaining weight”), to specific warnings against excess weight gain (“Too much was dangerous for her and the baby.”).ConclusionsMany community members give advice to pregnant women. Their advice reveals varied perspectives on the effects of pregnancy weight gain. Compared to a nearly ubiquitous understanding of the harms of smoking during pregnancy, community members demonstrated less awareness of and willingness to discuss the harms of excessive weight gain. Beyond educating pregnant women, community-level interventions may also be important to ensure that the information pregnant women receive supports healthy behaviors and promotes the long-term health of both moms and babies.

Healthcare provider advice on gestational weight gain: uncovering a need for more effective weight counselling

“…However, less than half of women report receiving information about GWG from healthcare providers (Phelan et al 2011; Thompson et al 2011; Brown and Avery 2012; McDonald et al 2012; Ferrari and Siega-Riz 2013; Waring et al 2014; Ledoux et al 2015; Willcox et al 2015; Arinze et al 2016). Indeed, healthcare providers report that they do not prioritise discussions of GWG during prenatal visits (Kominiarek et al 2010; Lutsiv et al 2012; Chang et al 2013; Anderson et al 2015; Verma et al 2016; Whitaker et al 2016) and prefer to only talk about GWG if prompted (Kominiarek et al 2010; Chang et al 2013; Duthie et al 2013; Whitaker et al 2016). When healthcare providers do offer advice on GWG, they often provide recommendations that are discordant with IOM guidelines (Herring et al 2010; Moore Simhas et al 2013; Arinze et al 2016).…”

Understanding Millennial Moms' Choices: A Nursing Survey About Childbirth Education in Primigravid Women

“…The literature supports the fact that, for many young women, the primary communication source through which childbirth information is conveyed lays outside the formal health-care system (Edmonds et al, 2015). Friends and family are important sources of information in pregnant women's lives and even though they may be less knowledgeable, compared to maternity care providers, they give pregnant women advice during pregnancy (Verma et al, 2016).…”

Expectations and Participatory Performance of Husbands in Improvement of Anxiety Disorders in Pregnant Women: A Qualitative Study

“…Pregnant mothers generally enjoy good physical, emotional, and social support from family and friends [20]. Pregnancy systematically afects not only an individual and a family but also other parts of society such as family, friends, and larger community; therefore, systemic and social supports for pregnant women has signifcant efects within and throughout society [21]. Social support predicts the mental and physical health of pregnant woman [22]; it is defned as fnancial, instrumental, emotional, and psychological supports for the pregnant person during pregnancy by a social network of family members, friends, and community members [23].…”