Access to nutrition advice and knowledge, attitudes and practices of pregnant women in Ireland: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUNDHealthy nutritional status, appropriate gestational weight gain and a balanced diet are important predictors of perinatal health outcomes. However, gaps exist in the translation of nutrition recommendations into dietary practices of women before and during pregnancy. The present study expl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of human nutrition and dietetics 2024-06
Main Authors: McCarthy, Elaine K, Ní Riada, Clodagh, O'Brien, Roisin, Minogue, Hannah, McCarthy, Fergus P, Kiely, Mairead E
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:BACKGROUNDHealthy nutritional status, appropriate gestational weight gain and a balanced diet are important predictors of perinatal health outcomes. However, gaps exist in the translation of nutrition recommendations into dietary practices of women before and during pregnancy. The present study explored the relationship between access to nutrition advice, nutrition knowledge, attitudes and practices among pregnant women.METHODSPregnant women aged > 18 years in Ireland were eligible to complete a self-administered survey consisting of four subsections (demographics, nutrition knowledge, attitudes and practices) delivered online through Qualtrics.RESULTSIn this convenience sample (n = 334, median [interquartile range] gestation, 25.0 [16.0, 34.0] weeks), 85% had at least an honours bachelor degree and 88.9% planned their pregnancy. Two out of five women received nutrition advice during their pregnancy, mostly from a midwife. Based on the percentage of correct answers (of 15 questions), women with previous nutrition education (e.g., school home economics) had better median [interquartile range] nutrition knowledge than those with none (80.0% [66.7, 86.7%] vs. 73.3% [60.0, 80.0%], p 
ISSN:1365-277X
DOI:10.1111/jhn.13342