Overweight and obesity knowledge prior to pregnancy: a survey study

Abstract

BackgroundOverweight and obesity are associated with increased risk for pregnancy complications. Knowledge about increased risks in overweight and obese women could contribute to successful prevention strategies and the aim of this study is to assess current levels of knowledge in a pregnant population.MethodsCross sectional survey of 412 consecutive unselected women in early pregnancy in Brisbane, Australia: 255 public women attending their first antenatal clinic visit and 157 women at private maternal fetal medicine clinics undergoing a routine ultrasound evaluation prior to 20 weeks gestation. The cohort was stratified according to pre pregnancy BMI (< 25.0 or ≥ 25.0). The main outcome measure was knowledge regarding the risks of overweight and obesity in pregnancy.ResultsOver 75% of respondents identified that obese women have an increased risk of overall complications, including gestational diabetes and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy compared to women of normal weight. More than 60% of women asserted that obesity would increase the risk of caesarean section and less than half identified an increased risk of adverse neonatal outcomes. Women were less likely to know about neonatal complications (19.7% did not know about the effect of obesity on these) than maternal complications (7.4%). Knowledge was similar amongst women recruited at the public hospital and those recruited whilst attending for an ultrasound scan at a private clinic. For most areas they were also similar between women of lower and higher BMI, but women with BMI < 25.0 were less likely to know that obesity was associated with increased rate of Caesarean section than those with higher BMI (16.8% versus 4.5%, P < 0.001). Higher educational status was associated with more knowledge of the risks of overweight and obesity in pregnancy.ConclusionsMany women correctly identify that overweight and obesity increases the overall risk of complications of pregnancy and childbirth. The increased risks of maternal complications associated with being obese are better known than the increased risk of neonatal complications. Maternal education status is a main determinant of the extent of knowledge and this should be considered when designing education campaigns.

Awareness of consequences of obesity on reproductive health problems among women in an urban area in South India

“…23 This study found that about 80% women knew that excess weight adversely affects reproductive health outcomes which was more than that reported by 75% participants in a study done in Brisbane, Australia 23 and 49% in Chicago, USA based study. 24 However the level of awareness in the present study was good only in about 10% participants in comparison to 49.8% reported in a study done in Nigeria while poor awareness in this study was seen in about 14% participants in comparison to 39.5% reported in the Nigerian study.…”

“…15 Awareness of increased risk of caesarean deliveries was stated by 30.8% 15 26 of participants in other studies were more than our observations. The awareness of congenital anomalies among offspring was 23.7% in a study done in Chicago 15 and 58% in a study done in Brisbane 23 in comparison to 26.4% reported by participants in this study. Another Australian study observed that awareness of the role of obesity in maternal complications was much more for maternal than neonatal complications which was similar to our findings.…”

“…Another Australian study observed that awareness of the role of obesity in maternal complications was much more for maternal than neonatal complications which was similar to our findings. 23 One of the ultimate aims of antenatal care is birth of a healthy baby and therefore information on neonatal complications like birth defects might encourage women to prevent obesity prior to pregnancy. 23,27 Source of information of more than half of participants in this study was mass media sources like television.…”

Weight management during pregnancy: a qualitative thematic analysis on knowledge, perceptions and experiences of overweight and obese women in Singapore

“…An Australian study [33] found that maternal education status is a main determinant of the extent of knowledge. Although we were unable to accurately determine the influence of education on participants’ extent of knowledge, we found that even participants who had demonstrated fair knowledge on the problems of maternal overweight and obesity, reported difficulty managing their weight during pregnancy.…”

“…In view of the aforementioned adverse effects, Western studies [27–33] from Australia, the USA, the UK have explored the perceptions of women during pregnancy, which targeted women who were White, Latina and African-American. For example, in a study [27] which compared perceptions of White women and African American women, it was found that African American women were more concerned with inadequate weight gain whereas White women more frequently expressed worry on excessive weight gain, and that the primary cited barrier of a healthy diet was the high cost of fresh produce.…”