Excess gestational weight gain (GWG) is associated with adverse maternal, infant and child outcomes, yet monitoring GWG is not part of routine obstetric care across Australia. The aim of this survey was to explore the attitudes and practices of pregnant women regarding GWG, their readiness to receive such information from health-care providers, and the predictors of these responses.
Australian women (n=857) completed a piloted, self-administered online survey. Pregnant women were recruited via a large public hospital (Adelaide, South Australia, n=402) and via a national, social research online panel (n=455). Most participants (31.1±5.0 years) were in the 2nd (40%) or 3rd (46%) trimester of pregnancy and almost half were nulliparous.
Overall, 88% of women received, or wanted to receive, information about GWG from their health-care provider; 12% were not interested. Most (72%) felt comfortable measuring their weight during pregnancy, and having it measured by their health-care provider (71%). Indeed, 62% of the sample reported weighing themselves once a month or more during pregnancy, while 18% never weighed themselves.
Women specified a weight gain range that seemed realistic for their pregnancy, and this was compared to the 2009 Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations, based on self reported pre-pregnancy BMI. Women with a pre-pregnancy BMI in the normal range were most likely to specify a GWG that matched the recommendations (41% of normal weight participants). Seventy percent of underweight respondents specified a range that was below recommendations, whereas approximately half of overweight and obese women identified a range that was above recommendations.
Overall, pregnant Australian women are interested in receiving information about GWG from their health-care provider. However there is a high frequency of mismatch between women’s estimation of realistic GWG and the 2009 IOM recommendations, indicating a need for additional information, weight monitoring and support from health-care providers.