Perceptions of effective advice in pregnancy - The case of activity.

Objectives:The paper uses qualitative and quantitative data arising from a longitudinal study of pregnant women to examine women's responses to advice provided about changing their behaviour during pregnancy.Design:A longitudinal study over nine months involving a semi-structured questionnaire and interview schedule together with a range of psychological measures and activity measurement using actimetry. The purpose of the main study was to explore maternal daily activity in low-risk pregnancy.Participants:57 women volunteers agend (mean age 26.3 years) with low-risk pregnancy, recruited via an East Midlands City Centre teaching hospital antenatal clinic.Results:Data on advice suggest that 1) response to advice is extremely varied and that reduction in activity is not always welcome; 2) factors affecting women's responses to advice include the importance they attach to an active lifestyle in pregnancy.Conclusions:The paper highlights the inherent difficulties of providing effective advice during the short period of pregnancy; the need for clear and consistent messages to be provided by all health professionals involved in antenatal care as well as the difficulty of changing cultural expectations of pregnancy-appropriate behaviours.