title: Applying a social disparities lens to obesity in pregnancy to inform efforts to intervene.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to examine the social correlates of pre-pregnancy overweight and obesity in an Australian population-based sample and consider implications for intervention effectiveness during pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  population-based survey distributed by hospitals to women 6 months after birth.
  
  
  METHODS
  two states of Australia.
  
  
  METHODS
  women who gave birth in Victoria and South Australia in September/October 2007.
  
  
  RESULTS
  surveys were completed by 4,366 women. Pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) was calculated from women's self-reported weight in kilograms/(height in metres)(2). Results showed high rates of overweight (22%) and obesity (14%) among Australian women entering pregnancy. After adjusting for other factors in the model, pre-pregnancy obesity was significantly associated with lower household income levels, less education, the experience of financial stress in pregnancy and increasing parity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  to date, there is little evidence to support the efficacy of interventions to manage problematic weight in pregnancy. Applying a social disparities lens to obesity in pregnancy challenges us to consider social factors that may seem distal to obesity but are highly relevant to efficacious intervention.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  pregnancy care offers an opportunity to address social issues on the pathway to obesity. Current clinical care guidelines on maternal overweight and obesity in pregnancy rarely consider social contexts that place some women at risk and are a likely impediment to efficacious intervention.
authors.affiliation: Healthy Mothers Healthy Families Research Group, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Flemington Road, Parkville 3052, Australia.
authors.forename: Georgina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sutherland
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yelland
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008427:Maternal Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D010298:Parity; D018743:Perinatal Care / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D011203:Poverty / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology