Exploring preconception health beliefs amongst adults of childbearing age in the UK: a qualitative analysis

Abstract Background A woman’s health at the time of conception lays the foundation for a healthy pregnancy and the lifelong health of her child. We investigated the health behaviours of UK women planning pregnancy. Methods We analysed survey data from the ‘Planning for Pregnancy’ online tool (Tommy’s, UK). We described all women planning pregnancy and compared the frequency of non-adherence to preconception recommendations in women who had already stopped contraception (active planners) and those who had not (non-active planners). Results One hundred thirty-one thousand one hundred eighty-two women from across the UK were included, of whom 64.8% were actively planning pregnancy. Of the whole cohort, twenty percent were smokers and less than one third took folic acid supplements (31.5%). Forty two percent engaged in less than the recommended 150 min of weekly physical activity and only 53.3% consumed five portions of fruit or vegetables 4 days a week. Smokers were 1.87 times more likely to be active planners than non-smokers (95% CI 1.79–1.94), and women who took folic acid were 7 times more likely to be active planners (95% CI 6.97–7.59) compared to women who did not. Smoking, drug use and lack of folic acid supplementation were common in younger women and those who were underweight. Conclusions This unique survey of UK women has identified poor adherence to preconception recommendations in those planning pregnancies and supports the need for a greater public health focus on preconception health. This study provides a contemporary basis from which to inform preconception health advice and a benchmark to measure changes over time.

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Iron nutrition in the UK: getting the balance right

Proceedings of The Nutrition Society ◽

10.1079/pns2004394 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 63 (4) ◽

pp. 519-528 ◽

Cited By ~ 38

Author(s):

Susan J. Fairweather-Tait

Keyword(s):

Negative Impact ◽

Iron Nutrition ◽

Fe Deficiency ◽

Adaptive Responses ◽

Childbearing Age ◽

Related Factors ◽

High Fibre ◽

Single Meal ◽

Fe Homeostasis ◽

The Uk

Fe homeostasis is considered in the context of the UK diet, using information on Fe intake and status from the National Diet and Nutrition Surveys. The importance of assessing Fe availability rather than total Fe intake is discussed. Dietary and host-related factors that determine Fe bioavailability (Fe utilised for Hb production) are reviewed using information from single-meal studies. When adaptive responses are taken into consideration, foods associated with higher Fe status include meat (haem-Fe and the ‘meat factor’) and fruits and fruit juice (vitamin C). Foods that may have a negative impact include dairy products (Ca), high-fibre foods (phytate) and tea and coffee (polyphenols), but the effects are more apparent in groups with marginal Fe deficiency, such as women of childbearing age. Analysis of dietary intake data on a meal-by-meal basis is needed to predict the influence of changing dietary patterns on Fe nutrition in the UK. Current information suggests that in the UK Fe deficiency is a greater problem than Fe overload.

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Iodine deficiency in pregnant women living in the South East of the UK: the influence of diet and nutritional supplements on iodine status

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s0007114513004030 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 111 (9) ◽

pp. 1622-1631 ◽

Cited By ~ 60

Author(s):

Sarah C. Bath ◽

Alan Walter ◽

Andrew Taylor ◽

John Wright ◽

Margaret P. Rayman

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Iodine Deficiency ◽

Urinary Iodine ◽

World Health ◽

The South ◽

Childbearing Age ◽

Iodine Status ◽

Supplement Use ◽

Iodine Excretion ◽

The Uk

Iodine is a key component of the thyroid hormones which are crucial for brain development. Adequate intake of iodine in pregnancy is important as in utero deficiency may have lifelong consequences for the offspring. Data on the iodine status of UK pregnant women are sparse, and there are no such data for pregnant women in the South East of the UK. A total of 100 pregnant women were recruited to a cross-sectional study carried out at the Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, at their first-trimester visit for an ultrasound scan. The participants provided a spot-urine sample (for the measurement of urinary iodine concentration (UIC) and creatinine concentration) and 24 h iodine excretion was estimated from the urinary iodine:creatinine ratio. Women completed a general questionnaire and a FFQ. The median UIC (85·3 μg/l) indicated that the group was iodine deficient by World Health Organisation criteria. The median values of the iodine:creatinine ratio (122·9 μg/g) and of the estimated 24 h iodine excretion (151·2 μg/d) were also suggestive of iodine deficiency. UIC was significantly higher in women taking an iodine-containing prenatal supplement (n 42) than in those not taking such a supplement (P< 0·001). In the adjusted analyses, milk intake, maternal age and iodine-containing prenatal supplement use were positively associated with the estimated 24 h urinary iodine excretion. Our finding of iodine deficiency in these women gives cause for concern. We suggest that women of childbearing age and pregnant women should be given advice on how to improve their iodine status through dietary means. A national survey of iodine status in UK pregnant women is required.

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“Work is good for me”: views of mental health service users seeking work during the UK recession, a qualitative analysis

Journal of Mental Health ◽

10.3109/09638237.2015.1019044 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 24 (2) ◽

pp. 93-97 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Naomi Boycott ◽

Athfah Akhtar ◽

Justine Schneider

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Health Service ◽

Health Service ◽

Qualitative Analysis ◽

Service Users ◽

Good For ◽

The Uk

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Understanding Women’s Preconception Health Goals

Social Marketing Quarterly ◽

10.1177/1524500414534421 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

pp. 148-164 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Molly Lynch ◽

Linda Squiers ◽

Megan A. Lewis ◽

Rebecca Moultrie ◽

Julia Kish-Doto ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Marketing ◽

Transtheoretical Model ◽

Planning Process ◽

Preconception Health ◽

Childbearing Age ◽

Health Campaign ◽

Segmentation Strategy ◽

Health Goals ◽

Marketing Planning ◽

Health Consumer

This article discusses the social marketing planning process and strategies used to design a preconception health campaign, Show Your Love, launched in February 2013. Developing a social marketing strategy for preconception health is a challenging endeavor, in part because preconception health represents a set of diverse behaviors and the audience for the campaign is quite large, encompassing all women of childbearing age whether they intend to become pregnant or not. The network of organizations implementing the campaign, the National Preconception Health Consumer Workgroup, required a broad audience segmentation strategy; therefore, two large audiences were selected. This commentary describes the two primary audiences selected for the campaign based on the Transtheoretical Model—intenders (those in contemplation, preparation, and action) and nonintenders (precontemplators)—and explores how levels of knowledge, motivations, the campaign product, and the campaign goals are distinct for each audience. Additionally, the authors describe potential extensions to the segmentation strategy that could offer finer grained approaches for social marketers who may be building on the Show Your Love campaign or designing other programs in this area.

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RF21 Why do some gps and practice nurses in the UK continue to prescribe antibiotics inappropriately? A qualitative analysis of health professionals’ antibiotic prescribing in primary care in the NHS

10.1136/jech-2019-ssmabstracts.136 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

RE Glover ◽

A Fraser

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Qualitative Analysis ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Antibiotic Prescribing ◽

Practice Nurses ◽

The Uk

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Iodine knowledge is positively associated with dietary iodine intake among women of childbearing age in the UK and Ireland

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s0007114516003925 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 116 (10) ◽

pp. 1728-1735 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

S. Maria O’Kane ◽

L. Kirsty Pourshahidi ◽

Kayla M. Farren ◽

Maria S. Mulhern ◽

J. J. Strain ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Iodine Intake ◽

Women Of Childbearing Age ◽

Public Health Strategy ◽

Dietary Recommendations ◽

Childbearing Age ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Poor Knowledge ◽

Health Strategy ◽

Infant Neurodevelopment ◽

The Uk

AbstractAdequate I intake is important before conception and during pregnancy for optimal infant neurodevelopment. Recent studies have highlighted the prevalence of I deficiency in the UK and Ireland. It is possible that optimal I intake may be impeded by a poor knowledge of I nutrition. This study aimed to investigate I knowledge among women of childbearing age in the UK and Ireland and to determine whether a relationship exists between I knowledge and dietary I intake. Females (aged 18–45 years) were invited to complete an online questionnaire, which assessed knowledge of I and estimated dietary I intake using a FFQ. A total of 520 females of childbearing age completed the study. I knowledge was poor; only one-third (32 %) of the participants correctly identified pregnancy as the most important stage of the lifecycle for I, and 41 % of participants could not correctly identify any health problem related to I deficiency. The median daily I intake was estimated as 152 µg/d. Almost half (46 %) of the participants failed to meet dietary recommendations (140 µg/d) for I. A higher dietary I intake was positively associated with greater I knowledge (r 0·107; P=0·016). This study suggests that knowledge of I nutrition is low among women of childbearing age, and those with a greater knowledge of I nutrition had a higher dietary I intake. Initiatives to educate women of childbearing age on the importance of I nutrition should be considered as part of a larger public health strategy to address I deficiency.

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Impact of menstrual blood loss and diet on iron deficiency among women in the UK

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1079/bjn20051493 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 94 (4) ◽

pp. 557-564 ◽

Cited By ~ 110

Author(s):

Linda J. Harvey ◽

Charlotte N. Armah ◽

Jack R. Dainty ◽

Robert J. Foxall ◽

D. John Lewis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Serum Ferritin ◽

Premenopausal Women ◽

Red Meat ◽

Interquartile Range ◽

Fe Deficiency ◽

Childbearing Age ◽

Ferritin Concentration ◽

Median Serum ◽

Fish Group ◽

The Uk

Women of childbearing age are at risk of Fe deficiency if insufficient dietary Fe is available to replace menstrual and other Fe losses. Haem Fe represents 10–15 % of dietary Fe intake in meat-rich diets but may contribute 40 % of the total absorbed Fe. The aim of the present study was to determine the relative effects of type of diet and menstrual Fe loss on Fe status in women. Ninety healthy premenopausal women were recruited according to their habitual diet: red meat, poultry/fish or lacto-ovo-vegetarian. Intake of Fe was determined by analysing 7 d duplicate diets, and menstrual Fe loss was measured using the alkaline haematin method. A substantial proportion of women (60 % red meat, 40 % lacto-ovo-vegetarian, 20 % poultry/fish) had low Fe stores (serum ferritin <10 μg/l), but the median serum ferritin concentration was significantly lower in the red meat group (6·8 μg/l (interquartile range 3·3, 16·25)) than in the poultry/fish group (17·5 μg/l (interquartile range 11·3, 22·4) (P<0·01). The mean and standard deviation of dietary Fe intake were significantly different between the groups (P=0·025); the red meat group had a significantly lower intake (10·9 (sd 4·3) mg/d) than the lacto-ovo-vegetarians (14·5 (sd 5·5) mg/d), whereas that of the poultry/fish group (12·8 (sd 5·1) mg/d) was not significantly different from the other groups. There was no relationship between total Fe intake and Fe status, but menstrual Fe loss (P=0·001) and dietary group (P=0·040) were significant predictors of Fe status: poultry/fish diets were associated with higher Fe stores than lacto-ovo-vegetarian diets. Identifying individuals with high menstrual losses should be a key component of strategies to prevent Fe deficiency.

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