Abstract
BackgroundApproximately 50% of women gain weight in excess of gestational weight gain (GWG) recommendations during pregnancy leading to adverse maternal and foetal outcomes and the perpetuation of the cycle of obesity. Antenatal care provided by a general practitioner (GP) in the primary care setting is an important model of care, particularly for women in regional areas where rates of overweight and obesity are highest. The aim of this study is to explore GPs’ perceptions and experiences of implementing GWG recommendations in GP-led antenatal care.MethodsA qualitative exploratory approach recorded GPs’ experiences and insights regarding the application of GWG recommendations in practice. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews informed by the revised Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). Deductive thematic analysis grouped coded text into TDF domains from which main themes were generated.ResultsTwenty GPs (13 female, 7 male) from metropolitan and regional Victoria, Australia participated. Codes related to at least one of 11 TDF domains. Five main themes were apparent: 1) Despite low awareness of guidelines, GWG advice is provided; 2) ‘I should do this more’; 3) Lack of everyday resources; 4) Working ‘against the odds’ at times; and 5) Optimism and reality. GPs were aware of the importance of optimal GWG however, other pregnancy-related issues are given precedence during consultations. Enablers for the implementation of GWG guidelines were practitioner-based and included GPs’ strong sense of their professional role to provide advice, and ongoing and trusting relationships with women throughout pregnancy. Barriers were mostly health system-based with limited time, remuneration, and restrictive referral pathways being limiting factors.ConclusionsThere is a need to support GPs to provide GWG advice in accordance with current national guidelines. Solutions potentially lie in strategies that promote the effective dissemination and uptake of guidelines, and changes to policy and funding within the health-system so that longer GP-led antenatal care consultations are remunerated and referrals to allied health are accessible to women who require additional support to optimise GWG.
Highlights
50% of women gain weight in excess of gestational weight gain (GWG) recommendations during pregnancy leading to adverse maternal and foetal outcomes and the perpetuation of the cycle of obesity
Maternal complications associated with excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) include gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), preeclampsia [4], caesarean section [2] and post-partum weight retention [5]
The Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) integrates behaviour change theories into a single validated tool [32] widely used in implementation science to identify barriers and enablers to guideline implementation [33]
Summary
50% of women gain weight in excess of gestational weight gain (GWG) recommendations during pregnancy leading to adverse maternal and foetal outcomes and the perpetuation of the cycle of obesity. Recommendations for GWG vary globally the United States’ National Academies’ recommendations [8] are incorporated into the antenatal care guidelines of many developed countries [9,10,11,12] and frequently referred to in the literature regarding GWG [2, 13, 14] These recommendations specify weekly and overall GWG based on pre-pregnancy weight (Table 1). Recommended Rate of weight gain in second weight gain (kg) and third trimesters kg/weeka Underweight BMI < 18.5 kg/m2 Healthy weight
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
