Table 3.
Composite scores for gestational weight gain (GWG) counselling practices and influences on practices compared by healthcare provider discipline
| Healthcare provider discipline Mean (SD) | All | Sig. | Post hoc | |||||
| GP | OB | MW | NP | RN | ||||
| Providing weight gain advice and discussing the risks | 2.95 (1.1) | 3.03 (1.2) | 2.95 (1.2) | 2.91 (1.5) | 2.54 (1.3) | 2.91 (1.2) | 0.072 | NA |
| Weighing women at every visit | 4.87 (0.54) | 4.75 (0.80) | 3.36 (1.56) | 4.61 (1.10) | 4.03 (1.55) | 4.41 (1.22) | <0.001 | MW<All* |
| Discussing physical activity and food requirements | 3.65 (1.1) | 3.37 (1.1) | 4.23 (0.8) | 3.81 (1.1) | 3.31 (1.4) | 3.65 (1.1) | <0.001 | MW> (GP, OB, RN)* |
| General knowledge in GWG, physical activity and nutrition | 3.50 (0.75) | 3.61 (0.75) | 3.77 (0.70) | 3.42 (0.80) | 3.36 (0.94) | 3.56 (0.78) | 0.017 | MW>RN† |
| Detailed knowledge of GWG, physical activity and nutrition guidelines | 2.85 (0.98) | 2.96 (0.91) | 3.22 (0.88) | 2.85 (1.02) | 3.00 (1.01) | 2.97 (0.95) | 0.047 | MW>GP† |
| Priority level of discussing, assessing and assisting women with appropriate weight gain | 4.09 (0.61) | 3.82 (0.82) | 3.59 (0.86) | 3.8 (0.87) | 4.25 (0.65) | 3.89 (0.78) | <0.001 | MW< (GP, NP)* OB-(GP, NP)† |
*Significant at 0.01; scale of 1=lowest to 5=highest score
†Significant at 0.05.
Compared by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).
GP, general practitioner; GWG, gestational weight gain; MW, midwife; NA, Not applicable; NP, nurse practitioner; OB, obstetrician; RN, primary care registered nurse.