title: Gestational weight gain information: seeking and sources among pregnant women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Promoting healthy gestational weight gain (GWG) is important for preventing obstetric and perinatal morbidity, along with obesity in both mother and child. Provision of GWG guidelines by health professionals predicts women meeting GWG guidelines. Research concerning women's GWG information sources is limited. This study assessed pregnant women's sources of GWG information and how, where and which women seek GWG information.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutive women (n = 1032) received a mailed questionnaire after their first antenatal visit to a public maternity hospital in Melbourne, Australia. Recalled provision of GWG guidelines by doctors and midwives, recalled provided GWG goals, and the obtaining of GWG information and information sources were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants (n = 368; 35.7% response) averaged 32.5 years of age and 20.8 weeks gestation, with 33.7% speaking a language other than English. One in ten women recalled receiving GWG guidelines from doctors or midwives, of which half were consistent with Institute of Medicine guidelines. More than half the women (55.4%) had actively sought GWG information. Nulliparous (OR 7.07, 95% CI = 3.91-12.81) and obese (OR 1.96, 95% CI = 1.05-3.65) women were more likely to seek information. Underweight (OR 0.29, 95% CI = 0.09-0.97) women and those working part time (OR 0.52, 95% CI = 0.28-0.97) were less likely to seek information. Most frequently reported GWG sources included the internet (82.7%), books (55.4%) and friends (51.5%). The single most important sources were identified as the internet (32.8%), general practitioners (16.9%) and books (14.9%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  More than half of women were seeking GWG guidance and were more likely to consult non-clinician sources. The small numbers given GWG targets, and the dominance of non-clinical information sources, reinforces that an important opportunity to provide evidence based advice and guidance in the antenatal care setting is currently being missed.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Hwy, Burwood, Victoria, 3125, Australia. jwillcox@deakin.edu.au.
authors.forename: Jane C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Willcox
authors.affiliation: Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Hwy, Burwood, Victoria, 3125, Australia. karen.campbell@deakin.edu.au.
authors.forename: Karen J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Melbourne/Mercy Hospital for Women, Melbourne, Australia. EMcCarthy@mercy.com.au.
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: McCarthy
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Melbourne/Mercy Hospital for Women, Melbourne, Australia. mlappas@unimelb.edu.au.
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lappas
authors.affiliation: Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Hwy, Burwood, Victoria, 3125, Australia. kylie.ball@deakin.edu.au.
authors.forename: Kylie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ball
authors.affiliation: Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Hwy, Burwood, Victoria, 3125, Australia. david.crawford@deakin.edu.au.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Crawford
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Melbourne/Mercy Hospital for Women, Melbourne, Australia. ashub@internode.on.net.
authors.forename: Alexis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shub
authors.affiliation: Mater Research Institute, University of Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Shelley.Wilkinson@mater.org.au.|Department of Nutrition & Dietetics, Mater Mothers Hospital, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Shelley.Wilkinson@mater.org.au.
authors.forename: Shelley A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D037841:Pregnant People / Q000523:psychology*; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D018570:Risk Assessment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015430:Weight Gain