To test the feasibility of introducing a group antenatal care initiative (Pregnancy Circles) in an area with high levels of social deprivation and cul…

Background: Modifiable health risks in pregnancy are common and contribute to adverse maternal and infant outcomes, yet preventive care addressing these risks can be difficult to deliver within time-limited antenatal appointments. Hybrid models combining in-person care with digital platforms offer a promising solution; however, there is limited evidence regarding consumer and health care professional perspectives on the preferred content and functionality of such platforms to inform their design. Objective: This study aimed to explore consumer and health care professional perspectives on the ideal content and functionality of a digital platform to support preventive antenatal care. Methods: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted across 2 regional maternity services in New South Wales, Australia. Four workshops were held with recently pregnant consumers and antenatal health care professionals, using purposive sampling to include Aboriginal and culturally and linguistically diverse participants. Data were analyzed using applied thematic analysis, guided by a predefined framework, which examined what content should be included, how the platform should function, and why it was needed. Results: A total of 23 consumers and 12 health care professionals participated. Participants identified key content requirements, including digital risk assessments, evidence-based and personalized information, practical resources, clear support options, and content extending into the postbirth period. Preferred functionalities included early access to the platform, appointment-aligned reminders, integration with routine workflows, tracking tools, multiple content delivery formats, filtering options, and information-sharing options. Participants described gaps in early pregnancy information and noted that digitally provided care could reduce stigma, support more honest disclosure, and enhance communication. Conclusions: Consumers and health care professionals identified key content and functionality requirements for a digital platform to support preventive antenatal care. Prioritizing credible information, early access, and integration with routine workflows may improve the acceptability and utility of digital solutions. Future research is needed to examine real-world implementation.

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Background: Maternal evaluation during routine antenatal care visits may reduce maternal morbidity and mortality by identifying and addressing issues early on. A health recommender system could help health professionals and pregnant women monitor daily health parameters, provide tailored recommendations, and support timely antenatal care. Objective: This study aims to qualitatively analyze challenges in the preimplementation of health recommender system for maternal care in Indonesia as perceived by multiple stakeholders, including health care providers, patients, health system managers, government officers, and technology vendors. Methods: The methodology used a qualitative approach, where qualitative data were obtained from interviews of 37 respondents from multiple stakeholders, consisting of 15 health workers and 15 patients from private and government health care facilities, 4 officers from government health offices, 2 directors of health application vendors, and 1 manager from a private health clinic. These semistructured interview results were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: This qualitative study identifies key challenges in implementing a health recommender system for maternal care in Indonesia across the people, process, infrastructure, and policy dimensions. Intercoder reliability for the coding process demonstrated almost perfect agreement (Cohen κ=0.90), supporting the consistency of the coding process. Six major challenges were revealed, mostly regarding skill, accuracy, completeness, timeliness, cost, and standardization. These 6 major challenges were mentioned 96 times, accounting for 64.43% of all codes extracted from the interviews. These findings emphasize the value of user involvement in system design to meet health care professionals’ and patients’ needs, technical advancements to foster trust and support effective decision-making, as well as enhanced data accuracy, reliable and timely service delivery, cost management, and clear regulatory standards. Conclusions: This formative, preimplementation qualitative study highlights the importance of involving users in system design and future implementation to meet the needs of health care professionals and patients. Reducing input errors and improving system reliability are critical to building trust and supporting effective point-of-care decision-making and, in later phases, facility-level monitoring as part of public health surveillance. Adherence to regulatory standards and the establishment of standardized guidelines will be key to enabling broader implementation. Further #usability, #feasibility, and pilot studies are required before any evaluation of effectiveness.

Background: The significance of parenting practices for children’s development and health has gained increased attention, aligning with life course perspectives on health. Adverse childhood experiences are widespread and linked to impaired parenting in adulthood. Understanding how expectant parents reflect on their childhoods, and how such reflections can be fostered as part of antenatal care, is essential for supporting healthier caregiving and helping to break cycles of intergenerational adversity. Objective: This study aimed to explore pregnant women’s perspectives on parenting and sources of support in light of their childhood experiences, including responses to a key question about what they want to pass on to their child. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in 2022 among pregnant women recruited through social media platforms, including Facebook groups and Instagram accounts. The Pearson chi-square test was used to examine associations between the assessment of childhood and 4 parenting-related variables. Free-text responses were analyzed for content, categorized, and quantified. Results: Among 1402 pregnant women across Norway, 10% (139/1393) reported difficult childhoods. Among them, 28.1% (39/139) felt that their upbringing would significantly influence their parenting, compared to 15.9% (171/1074) of those with good childhoods (P

Background: Background: During pregnancy, self-rated health (SRH) and self-rated mental health (SRMH) are key indicators of health status and predictors of future healthcare needs. Various factors, including maternal childhood, socioeconomic status, and parity, may influence health during pregnancy. How pregnant women seek antenatal care from midwives and general practitioners (GPs) based on their health perceptions remains unclear. Understanding these health factors can help healthcare providers become more aware of the diverse needs of pregnant women. Objective: Objective: This study aims to assess how SRH and SRMH during pregnancy are associated with maternal childhood experiences, socioeconomic status, parity, and antenatal care provided by midwives or general practitioners (GPs). Methods: Methods: An anonymous, web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from January to March 2022 among pregnant women in Norway, distributed via Facebook and Instagram. The survey included questions on SRH, SRMH, socioeconomic status, childhood perceptions, and antenatal program participation. Pearson’s chi-squared test and logistic regression models were used to explore associations and estimate odds ratios for good SRH and SRMH. Results: Results: Among 1,402 participants, 94.7% reported good or very good health before pregnancy, dropping to 67.8% during pregnancy (p

Background Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a leading cause of sensorineural hearing loss and neuro-disability in childhood. In the absence of a licensed vaccine, adoption of hygiene-base...

Our ability to address inequities in health outcomes is hampered by the under‐representation of underserved groups in research. Research exploring this topic has focused on observational studies in the American context. This is a pivotal concern for ...

To identify the challenges and opportunities for rolling out a bespoke model of group antenatal care called Pregnancy Circles (PC) within the National…