WRISK voices: A mixed-methods study of women's experiences of pregnancy-related public health advice and risk messages in the UK

Blaylock, Rebecca, Trickey, Heather ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3707-456X and Sanders, Julia ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5712-9989 2022. WRISK voices: A mixed-methods study of women's experiences of pregnancy-related public health advice and risk messages in the UK. Midwifery 113 , 103433. 10.1016/j.midw.2022.103433

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Abstract

Background Women receive many public health messages relating to pregnancy which are intended to improve outcomes for babies and mothers. However, negotiating the risk landscape and maternity care system can feel confusing and disempowering. Relationships between women and their healthcare providers are paramount, but they can be adversely affected by issues of trust and autonomy. Methods We used a nested study design including an online survey and qualitative interviews to gain an understanding of women's experiences of risk messages during pregnancy. We purposively sampled survey participants to ensure the interview population included women whose voices are seldom heard and are disproportionately impacted by poor risk communication. Results A total of 7,009 women responded to the survey, and 34 women participated in interviews. Participants received public health and risk messages from a range of sources. Data showed that women wanted a balance between a “better safe than sorry” approach and evidence-based information and advice. Women reported a discrepancy between the topics they received a lot of information on and areas in which they felt they needed more advice. Many participants said they were given conflicting advice, and the way information was delivered sometimes challenged their autonomy. We identified that younger women (<20 years old) and women with higher BMIs experienced stigmatisation in their maternity care. Conclusions Our research shows the importance of risk communication that respects women's autonomy and trusts them to make decisions about their own pregnancy. We identified a need for a layered approach to risk communication. Whilst some women are happy to adopt precautionary behaviour without discussion, others will want a thorough examination of the evidence-base. Our findings suggest that more individualised care, continuity, and less judgement and stigmatisation from HCPs will improve experiences for women and may lead to better engagement with services.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Healthcare Sciences
Additional Information:	License information from Publisher: LICENSE 1: URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, Start Date: 2022-07-19
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	0266-6138
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	22 July 2022
Date of Acceptance:	13 July 2022
Last Modified:	06 May 2023 07:20
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/151418

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