title: Weight-related risk perception among healthy and overweight pregnant women: a cross-sectional study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to evaluate weight-related risk perception in early pregnancy and to compare this perception between women commencing pregnancy healthy weight and overweight.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pregnant women (n=664) aged 29±5 (mean±s.d.) years were recruited from a metropolitan teaching hospital in Australia. A self-administered questionnaire was completed at around 16 weeks of gestation. Height measured at baseline and self-reported pre-pregnancy weight were used to calculate body mass index. Cross-sectional analysis was conducted.Differences between groups were assessed using chi-squared tests for categorical variables and t-tests or Mann-Whitney U tests for continuous variables depending on distribution.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Excess gestational weight gain (GWG) during pregnancy was more important in leading to health problems for women or their child compared with pre-pregnancy weight. Personal risk perception for complications was low for all women, although overweight women had slightly higher scores than healthy-weight women (2.4±1.0 vs 2.9±1.0; P<0.001). All women perceived their risk for complications to be below that of an average pregnant woman.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women should be informed of the risk associated with their pre-pregnancy weight (in the case of maternal overweight) and excess GWG. If efforts to raise risk awareness are to result in preventative action, this information needs to be accompanied by advice and appropriate support on how to reduce risk.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Herston, QLD, Australia.|School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, QLD, Australia.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: de Jersey
authors.affiliation: Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital Clinical School, School of Medicine, University of Queensland, Herston, QLD, Australia.|Department of Internal Medicine, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Herston, QLD, Australia.
authors.forename: L K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Callaway
authors.affiliation: School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, QLD, Australia.
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Daniels
authors.affiliation: Judith Lumley Centre, School of Nursing and Midwifery, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Vic, Australia.|Centre for Learning Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, QLD, Australia.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Nicholson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D050177:Overweight / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D037841:Pregnant People / Q000523:psychology*; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015430:Weight Gain