Educational intervention regarding diet and physical activity for pregnant women: changes in knowledge and practices among health professionals

Abstract

BackgroundThe knowledge and practices of health professionals have a recognized role in behaviors related to the health of their patients. During pregnancy, this influence can be even stronger because there is frequent contact between women and doctors/nurses at periodic antenatal visits. When trained, supported and motivated, these professionals can act as health promoters. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a focused educational intervention on improving the knowledge and practices of health professionals concerning diet and physical activity during pregnancy.MethodsA controlled, non-randomized study was performed to assess the effects of an educational intervention on the knowledge and practices of nurses and doctors who provide primary care to pregnant women. The intervention group, doctors and nurses (n = 22) from the family health units in a medium-sized city of São Paulo State, Brazil, received 16 h of training comprising an introductory course and three workshops, whereas the control group, doctors and nurses (n = 20) from traditional basic health units in Botucatu, did not. The professionals’ knowledge was assessed at two time points, 1 month prior to and 1 year after the beginning of the intervention, using an ad hoc self-report questionnaire. The increases in the knowledge scores for walking and healthy eating of the intervention and control groups were calculated and compared using Student’s t-test. To analyze the professionals’ practice, women in the second trimester of pregnancy were asked whether they received guidance on healthy eating and leisure-time walking; 140 of these women were cared for by professionals in the intervention group, and 141 were cared for by professionals in the control group. The percentage of pregnant women in each group that received guidance was compared using the chi-square test and the Prevalence Ratio (PR), and the corresponding 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were calculated.ResultsThe intervention improved the professionals’ knowledge regarding leisure-time walking (92 % increase in the score, p < 0.001). The women who were cared for by the intervention group were more likely to receive guidance regarding leisure-time walking (PR = 2.65; 95 % CI = 1.82-3.83) and healthy eating (PR = 1.76; 95 % CI = 1.34-2.31) when compared to the control group.ConclusionIt is possible to improve the knowledge and practices of health professionals through the proposed intervention aimed at primary health care teams providing antenatal care.

Shame and avoidance as barriers in midwives’ communication about body weight with pregnant women: A qualitative interview study

“…As it stands, the width and depth of weight related knowledge in midwives is up to local initiatives or the individual midwifes' own interest. Updated education regarding nutrition, physical activity, weight gain recommendations and obesity could boost midwives' self-confidence and increase their inclination to bring up weight (Malta et al, 2016).…”

Intervenções com profissionais de saúde da atenção primária sobre aconselhamento à atividade física: revisão sistemática

“…Após a exclusão dos duplicados, ficaram 398. Desses, 137 foram excluídos após a leitura dos títulos e 247 após a leitura dos resumos, restando 14 artigos para a leitura completa, onde mais seis estudos foram excluídos, totalizando oito artigos para participar do estudo [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] (Figura 1).…”

“…Em relação ao ano de publicação, foi observado que o primeiro artigo publicado foi no ano de 1998 21 . Depois disso, houve uma publicação em 2004 16 e as outras seis publicações ocorreram na última década, sendo uma em 2012 22 , duas em 2014 15,18 , duas em 2015 17,20 e uma em 2016 19 . Os estudos foram concentrados em três países, sendo encontradas no Brasil quatro pesquisas 17,19,20,22 , seguido de Austrália 15,16 e Estados Unidos 18,21 com dois estudos cada.…”

“…Três pesquisas tiveram a intervenção baseada exclusivamente na atividade física 16,21,22 , três na alimentação saudável e atividade física 15,19,20 , uma nos modos de vida saudáveis 17 e uma na atividade física e prescrição de medicamentos antidepressivos 18 .…”

Insufficient intake of alpha-linolenic fatty acid (18:3n-3) during pregnancy and associated factors

“…Further details of the main study are mentioned in a previous publication [12]. Briefly, pregnant women attending in Family Health Units (cohort A) were monitored by trained professionals who promoted the following dietary practices: three servings of fruits, two servings of vegetables, two servings of beans daily (at least five days a week), with occasional consumption of soft drinks or industrially processed cookies.…”