Obese mums-to-be study sounds health alert
2006-06-08
Overweight and obese mums-to-be are putting their health and the health of their unborn infant at risk - as well as putting a strain on the health service!
Thats one of the main conclusions from a study into
maternal obesity and pregnancy outcome conducted by researchers at the
University
of
Teesside
s School of Health & Social Care. The findings of the scoping study will
be published on the North East Public Health Observatory (NEPHO) web site on 6
June, 2006 www.nepho.org.uk
An executive summary can found on the
University
of
Teesside
s own web site at http://www.tees.ac.uk/schools/SOH/obesity_maternal.cfm
The research reviewed some of the clinical issues related
to caring for obese pregnant mothers.
Professor Carolyn Summerbell, who heads up the
University
of
Teesside
s Centre for Food, Physical Activity and Obesity Research, said: Were
not trying to blame or stigmatize obese pregnant mothers and we would certainly
not recommend that overweight mums-to-be go on crash diets. But our initial
findings show reasons for concern with obese pregnant mothers, and there is a
lack of weight management guidance and support readily available for them
Lead researcher Nicola Heslehurst said the research team
was alerted to the growing problem by anecdotal evidence from midwives and other
staff in maternity units in the region who were getting extremely concerned
about the apparent increase in the number of women who were obese at the start
of their pregnancy.
Doctors and midwives in the region have expressed
concerns about the increase in complications that can arise when mums are obese.
One of the problems is that sometimes you cant see the ultrasound scan of the
baby properly in obese pregnant women and this can lead to clinical problems as
well as being upsetting for the parents who are not able to see a picture of
their baby.
The research indicated there were other implications for
maternity services, including:
Stronger equipment such as delivery beds to support
heavy-weight mums
Reduced patient choice and discouraging home births
Referring patients to consultants rather than
midwifery-led care
Ruling out the use of birthing pools or alternative
delivery methods
An increase in caesarean sections
Lifting and handling issues for staff in the maternity
services
Professor John Wilkinson, Director of the North East Public
Health Observatory (NEPHO) said: We knew there was a problem with childhood
obesity and with older adults but maternal obesity is something that has crept
up on us We had some evidence and were aware that heavier women were coming
in to book a pregnancy, but we needed some hard evidence.
He said an initial scoping exercise carried out by Nicola
and her colleagues at the University of Teesside revealed that only six of the
maternity units in the regions 17 maternity hospitals under review kept
systematic electronic data on obese mums-to-be.
Until the late 1980s the height and weight of pregnant
women was regularly monitored. But this became unfashionable in recent years as
it was felt this caused unnecessary concern and worry to women who had gained a
couple of extra pounds. But our study recommends that a routine system of
monitoring the height and body weight of pregnant mothers is extended to all
maternity units.
This will allow comparisons between different social
groups, ages and whether the mothers were having their first child and whether
they were in employment. It will also enable us to judge the effectiveness of
health promotion activities aimed at pregnant mothers.
Dr Judith Rankin, Associate Director of the Regional
Maternity Survey Office (RMSO) and a partner in the study, said: This
research will help to inform the NHS about the changes needed to the way service
delivery is carried out and how the information is collected.
Dr Rankin said research already carried out by the
Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health indicates that a third of
maternal deaths were in mothers who were obese.
While this is clearly a serious issue, we dont want
to do anything that will encourage pregnant women who are obese to go on a crash
diet during pregnancy. What they should do is try to eat a healthy diet during
pregnancy and then lose weight after their child is born and before they have
their next child, she said.
More Information on the study is available in
pdf on the link below:
http://www.tees.ac.uk/docs/docrepo/School%20of%20Health%20and%20Social%20Care/MOPO%20Occasional%20Paper%20Final.pdf
|
News
