Implementation of pregnancy weight management and obesity guidelines: a meta‐synthesis of healthcare professionals' barriers and facilitators using the T heoretical D omains F ramework
Abstract
Summary: Obesity in pregnancy is rising and is associated with severe health consequences for both the mother and the child. There is an increasing international focus on guidelines to manage the clinical risks of maternal obesity, and for pregnancy weight management. However, passive dissemination of guidelines is not effective and more active strategies are required for effective guideline implementation into practice. Implementation of guidelines is a form of healthcare professional behaviour change, and therefore implementation strategies should be based on appropriate behaviour change theory. This systematic review aimed to identify the determinants of healthcare professionals' behaviours in relation to maternal obesity and weight management. Twenty‐five studies were included. Data synthesis of the existing international qualitative and quantitative evidence base used the T heoretical D omains F ramework to identify the barriers and facilitators to healthcare professionals' maternal obesity and weight management practice. The domains most frequently identified included ‘knowledge’, ‘beliefs about consequences’ and ‘environmental context and resources’. Healthcare professionals' weight management practice had the most barriers compared with any other area of maternal obesity practice. The results of this review will be used to inform the development of an intervention to support healthcare professional behaviour change.
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The TDF has previously been successfully applied for systematic reviews in other contexts.
“The theoretical domains framework (TDF) [24] has previously been successfully applied for systematic reviews in other contexts [25,26].”
From Influences on the Uptake of and Engagement With Health and Well-Being Smartphone Apps: Systematic Review (2020) · cites this paper as [26]
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“The theoretical domains framework (TDF) [24] has previously been successfully applied for systematic reviews in other contexts [25,26].”
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- Authors
- Heslehurst, N., Newham, J., Maniatopoulos, G., Fleetwood, C., Robalino, S., & Rankin, J.
- Affiliations
- Newcastle University (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Heslehurst, N.
- Venue
- Obesity Reviews
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2014-03-16
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 462-486
- ISSN
- 1467-7881 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-789X
- OpenAlex
- W2166153293
- Semantic Scholar
- b28b3c472615fa4413e1f2e5ed19c1e3402cc48f
- Cited by
- 169
- References
- 54
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 1
- FWCI
- 2.10
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Obesity Reviews (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute for Health Research (PDF-2011-04-034)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health Policy Implementation Science
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Clinical practice guidelines implementation
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Pharmacy › Obesity and Health Practices
- Keywords
- maternal obesity, weight management in pregnancy, guideline implementation, barriers and facilitators, Theoretical Domains Framework, behavior change, knowledge, beliefs about consequences, environmental context and resources, clinical practice
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Body Weight, Communication, Diet, Female, Health Personnel, Health Priorities, Humans, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, Obesity, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Complications, Prenatal Care, Health Behavior, Exercise, MEDLINE, Practice Guidelines as Topic, Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena
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