Experiences of lifestyle management and support during pregnancy: a qualitative study of the attitudes and experiences of pregnant women and healthcare professionals

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event Experiences of lifestyle management and support during pregnancy: a qualitative study of the attitudes and experiences of pregnant women and healthcare professionals Caragh Flannery1*, Sheena McHugh2, Emma Clifford3, Louise Kenny4, Molly Byrne1 and Patricia Kearney2 1 NUIG, Health Behaviour change research group, School of Psychology, Ireland 2 University College Cork, Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, Ireland 3 South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, Department of Nutrition & Dietetics, Ireland 4 University College Cork, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Ireland Background Overweight and obesity during pregnancy is associated with the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) among other complications. Lifestyle interventions have been shown to be effective in this population however, studies often fail to identify the mechanisms by which the intervention is expected to be effective. Aims Our aim is to identify the barriers and enablers to behaviour change from the perspective of overweight and obese pregnant women and healthcare providers (HCP) in order to inform the development of a technology supported lifestyle intervention. Methods Semi-structured interviews are being conducted with a purposive sample of overweight or obese women at different stages of pregnancy, recruited from a public antenatal clinic in a large academic maternity hospital in Cork (CUMH) (n=15-20). A purposive sample of HCP will also be recruited (n=10-15). The Framework approach is being used for analysis, drawing on the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) and the COM-B model of behaviour change. Results Preliminary analysis of pilot interviews with HCPs suggests that pregnancy is ‘a wake-up call’ for some women as the risks of overweight and obesity are made explicit. Social influences were identified as a potential facilitator; HCP suggested behaviour change was easier for pregnant women when supported by their partners. HCPs identified the environmental context and resources within the health system as barriers, particularly the lack of dedicated obesity clinics. Conclusion HCPs believe pregnancy offers a window of opportunity to change behaviour. However, there are limited resources available to them to support women to make these changes. Keywords: Technology, lifestyle, Behaviour Change, Ireland, overweight and obese, Pregnancy Complications Conference: 2nd Behaviour Change Conference: Digital Health and Wellbeing, London, United Kingdom, 24 Feb - 25 Feb, 2016. Presentation Type: Poster presentation Topic: Academic Citation: Flannery C, McHugh S, Clifford E, Kenny L, Byrne M and Kearney P (2016). Experiences of lifestyle management and support during pregnancy: a qualitative study of the attitudes and experiences of pregnant women and healthcare professionals . Front. Public Health. Conference Abstract: 2nd Behaviour Change Conference: Digital Health and Wellbeing. doi: 10.3389/conf.FPUBH.2016.01.00093 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 30 Sep 2015; Published Online: 09 Jan 2016. * Correspondence: Ms. Caragh Flannery, NUIG, Health Behaviour change research group, School of Psychology, Galway, Ireland, cflannery@ucc.ie Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Caragh Flannery Sheena McHugh Emma Clifford Louise Kenny Molly Byrne Patricia Kearney Google Caragh Flannery Sheena McHugh Emma Clifford Louise Kenny Molly Byrne Patricia Kearney Google Scholar Caragh Flannery Sheena McHugh Emma Clifford Louise Kenny Molly Byrne Patricia Kearney PubMed Caragh Flannery Sheena McHugh Emma Clifford Louise Kenny Molly Byrne Patricia Kearney Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.