Notes
Key findings
Women’s perceptions of health, and examples of how they tried to achieve such, showed they wanted to do best for their and baby’s health but faced numerous difficult life circumstances during pregnancy and postpartum. Despite existing challenges, programs, such as HMHB, can play a critical role in helping women to mediate some of these difficult circumstances. Women who participated in the program received much needed additional health and social support from providers who understood their life contexts in a non-judgemental way. When community-based programs show such potential to alleviate some of women’s burdens in coping with difficult life circumstances, they should be well supported through policies and expanded to other locations to increase reach.
Details:
In our study, women’s perceptions of a healthy diet reflected key nutrition messages pregnant and postpartum women in Alberta might receive through printed resources or public health programs based on a set of books entitled “Healthy Parents Healthy Children”.
Women from diverse rural communities perceived their babies’ health as an extension of their own health during pregnancy, as well as postpartum.
Being healthy meant: eating more fruit and vegetables; increasing intake of iron-rich foods, such as meat and dark leafy greens; increasing intake of milk and alternatives; and managing sweet cravings and sugar consumption.
Prenatal vitamins and supplements are viewed as a part of a healthy diet.
Being physically active is viewed as a key element of being healthy during pregnancy.
The tiredness, nausea, vomiting, and mood changes commonly experienced during pregnancy hindered women’s ability to eat healthily and be physically active. It also added more stress to women’s lives and further complexity to whatever situation they were already experiencing.
Women across all rural communities described HMHB supports as facilitators to being healthy.
Key recommendations
Policies that support community-based programs in rural communities, and ensure adequate funding, can enable more equitable services to rural women, and truly promote maternal health during pregnancy and postpartum.
Key populations
Pregnant and postpartum women
Community organizations
Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program (CPNP) Healthy Moms Healthy Babies (HMHB) program
Location
Southern Alberta
Integration timeline
At what point during the integration process the study was conducted?
NA
