US obstetrician-gynaecologist's prevention and management of obesity in pregnancy.
A survey regarding management of obesity in pregnancy was mailed to 787 practising members of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG); 433 responded of whom 353 practised obstetrics. Most (79.2%) had read ACOG Committee Opinion, 'Obesity in Pregnancy,' and rated it helpful (68.6%) or very helpful (17.2%). Most responding physicians (91.2%) use BMI to assess their patients weight status; fewer (63.4%) use pre-pregnancy BMI to modify their pregnancy weight gain recommendation. Having read the Committee Opinion and being a woman were independent factors associated with using pre-pregnancy BMI. Responding physicians that had read the Committee Opinion were more knowledgeable about obesity-related pregnancy complications; but even among those physicians, only 32.2% were aware that maternal obesity is a risk factor for fetal neural tube defects. The responding physicians appeared well-versed on appropriate practice for caesarean delivery for obese patients whether they had read the Committee Opinion or not.
Power
M L
ML
Research Department, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Washington, DC 20024, USA. mpower@acog.org
Cogswell
M E
ME
Schulkin
J
J
D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009774:Obstetrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires