February 13, 2014
May, L, Suminski, R., Berry, A., Linklater, E., Jahnke, S. Diet and Pregnancy: Health-Care Providers and Patient Behaviors. J Perin Edu. 2014;23(1): 50-56.
Diet and pregnancy has been a long existing problem in the medical field. The health of the mother directly affects the health of the fetus. Through summary and critique, the article is examined by its components research topic, design, results, and discussion with a final reflection on its uses for current nursing implications. The title of the article is rather misleading. Although the title emphasized diet and pregnancy, the study included changing the patient’s behavior including usage of drugs, alcohol, and caffeine. It addresses the changes in a patient’s behavior due to pregnancy. The topic selected and the supporting research was sound but as you moved through the study it became more vague as the results and the title indicated. The research design provided quantitative data to present the results. Questionnaires were sent to obstetric-gynecology clinics for completion by patients and health care providers. One of the limits of the study I noticed is clinics selected contained at least one alumnus of the researchers’ medical school. I felt this limited the results of the study. All patients selected had to be at least eighteen years old and either pregnant or haven given birth within the last year. The completing health care provider was any licensed individual that had direct contact with pregnant patients. Two follow-up letters were sent to assure maximum response to the study. This follow-up allowed for the sample size to be larger to assure adequate data for a qualitative conclusion. The questionnaire was properly constructed through committee review of each question and test subjects to determine ease of use. The standard demographic information was necessary to streamline the subjects but the adding of other lifestyle changes moved the study away from its intended use. Answers were rated from “1”, always to “7” never. The questionnaire for the health care provider was designed to mirror that of the patient’s. The data was collected quantitatively by determining the mean for each question response. The results of the study were as I had expected. The largest number of completed questionnaires was from white, educated younger patients. The criteria used for participant selection led me to believe that this would be the typical participant. The largest percentage of health care providers that responded was doctors. These doctors did confirm in their responses that those they had discussed diet with were more likely to have private insurance. Also, more than one-third of the health care providers wanted additional training to assist their pregnant patients with dietary behavioral changes. The results did bother me that a large segment of the population and probably ones that needed the discussion the most were overlooked. Low-income individuals are more likely