Investigating antenatal nutrition education preferences in South-East Queensland, including Maori and Pasifika women.

Background: Little is reported about the nutrition-related needs and preferences of women seeking maternity services, particularly Maori and Pasifika (M&P) women who have higher chronic disease rates in Queensland.
Aim: Nutrition-related knowledge, needs, behaviours and education preferences were compared between women of M&P ancestry and non-Maori and Pasifika women (NMP).
Method: Women (≥18 years) admitted to the postnatal ward were surveyed. Anthropometry, dietary quality, nutrition education preferences, country of birth and ancestry were collected. Analysis included chi-squared and t-tests.
Findings: The survey was completed by 399 eligible women. Country of birth data suggested 4% of respondents were Pasifika and failed to separately identify New Zealand Maori, whereas 18% of respondents (n=73) reported M&P ancestry. Descriptors were similar between groups (28±5 years; 91% any breastfeeding; 18% gestational diabetes mellitus; p>0.05). However M&P women were less often university educated (M&P:6(9%); NMP:71(22%), p<0.01) and more likely had >2 children (M&P: 30(54%); NMP:70(30%), p<0.01). M&P women reported heavier weight at conception (M&P:79.0±20.2kg, 29.2±7.5kg/m ² ; NMP:71.3±18.9kg, 26.3±6.5kg/m ² , p<0.01), and were more likely to report excess gestational weight gain (M&P:30(56%), NMP:96(36%), p<0.05). Most (>75%) women did not know their recommended weight gain. Many respondents reported inadequate intake of vegetables (95%), fruit (29%) and dairy (69%) during pregnancy. Two-fifths (38-41%) reported interest in perinatal nutrition education, with topics including healthy eating postpartum.
Discussion: Findings enable targeted service delivery according to women's preferences.
Conclusion: Collecting ancestral and maternal data to facilitate the provision of appropriate nutrition education may be critical for achieving optimal maternal outcomes in Maori and Pasifika women.
(Copyright © 2017 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)