Midwives' experiences of referring obese women to either a community or home-based antenatal weight management service: Implications for service providers and midwifery practice

Abstract

. (2016). Midwives' experiences of referring obese women to either a community or home-based antenatal weight management service: Implications for service providers and midwifery practice. Midwifery, doi: 10.1016Midwifery, doi: 10. /j.midw.2016 This is the accepted version of the paper.This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. A variety of services to support women to undertake weight management behaviours during pregnancy have recently been implemented as a means to reduce the risks to mother and baby. In the UK, midwives lead the care of the majority of pregnant women and are seen as the ideal source of referral into antenatal services. However, midwives have reported concerns regarding raising the topic of weight with obese women and negative referral experiences have been cited as a reason not to engage with a service. This study explored midwives' experiences of referring women to one of two antenatal weight management services. Permanent Design:Qualitative, cross-sectional interview and focus group study, with data analysed thematically. Setting:Midwifery teams in the West Midlands, England. Participants:Midwives responsible for referring to either a home-based, one to one service (N=11), or a, community-based, group service (N=13). Findings:Four themes emerged from the data. Participants generally had a positive View of the service, but their Information needs were not fully met, as they wanted more detail about the service and feedback regarding the women they had referred. Approaches to referral differed, with some participants referring all women who met the eligibility criteria, and some offering women a choice to be referred or not. Occasionally the topic was not raised at all when a negative reception was anticipated. Reasons for poor uptake of the services included pragmatic barriers, and their perception of women's lack of interest in weight management.

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