Young women's and midwives' perspectives on improving nutritional support in pregnancy: The babies, eating, and LifestyLe in adolescence (BELLA) study

Strömmer, Sofia; Weller, Susie; Morrison, Leanne; Soltani, Hora; Stephenson, Judith; Whitworth, Melissa; Rundle, Rachel; Brewin, Jane; Poston, Lucilla; Lawrence, Wendy; Barker, Mary

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113781

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 34 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Taking control of food choices may be a particular focus for young pregnant mothers seeking autonomy during a time in their life when they feel they things are hard to control. Moreover, young women in our study also took 'comfort' from their favourite food choices, something that other research with teenage mothers has found (Strömmer et al, 2021). Whilst these feelings are not unique to young pregnant women, comfort and pleasure may have been important to young women in our study because of the challenging contexts of their lives.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Bodies of concern? A qualitative exploration of eating, moving and embodiment in young mothers

2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In some countries, including the United Kingdom, young mothers’ pregnant and postnatal bodies remain an area of concern for policy and practice, with interventions developed to support improved health behaviours including diet and physical activity. This article explores what young women themselves think and feel about eating and moving during and after pregnancy. Semi-structured interviews with 11 young mothers were conducted within two voluntary organisations. Data were analysed using thematic analysis with the theoretical lens of embodiment, which provided an understanding of how young women’s eating and moving habits related to how they felt about their bodies in the world. Four themes situated in different experiences of being and having a body were identified: pregnant body, emotional body, social body and surveilled body. Stress and low mood impacted eating habits as young women responded to complex circumstances and perceived judgement about their lives. Food choices were influenced by financial constraints and shaped by the spaces and places in which young women lived. Whilst young women were busy moving in their day-to-day lives, they rarely had the resources to take part in other physical activity. Holistic approaches that focus on how women feel about their lives and bodies and ask them where they need support are required from professionals. Interventions that address the structural influences on poor diet and inequalities in physical activity participation are necessary to underpin this. Approaches that over-focus on the achievement of individual health behaviours may fail to improve long-term health and risk reinforcing young women’s disadvantage.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Bodies of concern? A qualitative exploration of eating, moving and embodiment in young mothers

2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The sampling approach and two-phase methodology applied in this study allowed a wide range of participants to take part across England. Combining the Activmob approach with semi-structured in-depth interviews by scientific researchers provided concurrent collection of a rich qualitative dataset from which cross-cutting themes were elicited [ 27 ]. The recruitment approach may have introduced participant bias attracting stakeholders with strong opinions about HS and rural areas were not covered; however, the study sample included perspectives from different English regions, local and national stakeholders and various sectors within the HS delivery system.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Shallow dive interviews were conducted by the social enterprise Activmob who have extensive expertise in engaging harder-to-reach families [ 27 ]. Participants were approached and recruited via trusted public locations including children’s centres, community markets, food outlets and community hubs.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Healthy Start scheme in England “is a lifeline for families but many are missing out”: a rapid qualitative analysis

Barrett,

Spires,

Vogel

2024

BMC Med

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Healthy Start (HS) is a government scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland that offers a financial payment card and free vitamins to families experiencing low income. Pregnant women and families with children < 4 years can use the HS card to buy fruit, vegetables, cow’s milk, infant formula and pulses. HS was fully digitalised in March 2022. While digitalisation has improved the user experience for many families, in the context of the cost-of-living crisis and increasing dietary inequalities, it is important to understand why HS is not reaching more families. This study aimed to (i) assess the perceptions and experiences of HS from stakeholders across the system including those who promote, implement and are eligible for HS, and (ii) identify recommendations to improve the scheme’s effectiveness and uptake. Methods The study design was a post-implementation rapid qualitative evaluation using stakeholder interviews. Data were collected between January and June 2023 via semi‐structured interviews (50% online; 50% in person) with 112 stakeholders, including parents (n = 59), non‐government organisations (n = 13), retailers (n = 11) and health and community professionals (n = 29) at national and local levels. Findings were confirmed by a sub-sample of participants. Results Six core themes cut across stakeholders’ perceptions and experiences, and stakeholders collectively outlined seven recommendations they felt could be acted upon to maximise uptake and efficiency of HS, with actions at both national and local levels. A novel finding from this study is that raising awareness about HS alone is unlikely to result automatically or universally in higher uptake rate. Recommendations include: continuing to provide this scheme that is universally valued; the need for many families to be provided with a helping hand to successfully complete the application; reframing of the scheme as a child’s right to food and development to ensure inclusivity; improved leadership, coordination and accountability at both national and local levels. Conclusions HS provides benefits for child development and family wellbeing. The study’s recommendations should be actioned by national and local governments to enable all families eligible for the scheme to benefit from this nutritional safety net.

show abstract

“…Although geared toward identifying ways to improve recruitment for clinical trials during pregnancy, the barriers to clinical trial participation identified by Strömmer et al., such as lack of trust in the trial and/or research staff, being too busy to participate, and concerns about study requirements, may also apply to engagement in any public health initiative, including health improvement efforts during pregnancy 69 . Other barriers to improving maternal health, particularly among very young pregnant women (15–22 years), include a lack of knowledge on how to eat well during pregnancy and how to do so within the limits of personal food preferences and financial constraints 70 . Additionally, among very young pregnant women, individual differences in barriers result in variable responses to behavior and change interventions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Barriers to implementing good nutrition in pregnancy and early childhood: Creating equitable national solutions

Rainford,

Barbour,

Birch

et al. 2024

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Exposure to deleterious stressors in early life, such as poor nutrition, underlies most adult‐onset chronic diseases. As rates of chronic disease continue to climb in the United States, a focus on good nutrition before and during pregnancy, lactation, and early childhood provides a potential opportunity to reverse this trend. This report provides an overview of nutrition investigations in pregnancy and early childhood and addresses racial disparities and health outcomes, current national guidelines, and barriers to achieving adequate nutrition in pregnant individuals and children. Current national policies and community interventions to improve nutrition, as well as the current state of nutrition education among healthcare professionals and students, are discussed. Major gaps in knowledge and implementation of nutrition practices during pregnancy and early childhood were identified and action goals were constructed. The action goals are intended to guide the development and implementation of critical nutritional strategies that bridge these gaps. Such goals create a national blueprint for improving the health of mothers and children by promoting long‐term developmental outcomes that improve the overall health of the US population.

show abstract

Young women's and midwives' perspectives on improving nutritional support in pregnancy: The babies, eating, and LifestyLe in adolescence (BELLA) study

Cited by 8 publications

References 34 publications

Bodies of concern? A qualitative exploration of eating, moving and embodiment in young mothers

Bodies of concern? A qualitative exploration of eating, moving and embodiment in young mothers

The Healthy Start scheme in England “is a lifeline for families but many are missing out”: a rapid qualitative analysis

Barriers to implementing good nutrition in pregnancy and early childhood: Creating equitable national solutions

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About