A prospective observational evaluation of an online health care professional training program to promote healthy pregnancy weight gain.

ISSUE ADDRESSED: A lack of programs to develop clinician knowledge and confidence to address weight gain within pregnancy is a barrier to the provision of evidence-based care. AIM: To examine the reach and effectiveness of the Healthy Pregnancy Healthy Baby online health professional training program. METHODS: A prospective observational evaluation applied the reach and effectiveness elements of the RE-AIM framework. Health professionals from a range of disciplines and locations were invited to complete questionnaires before and after program completion assessing objective knowledge and perceived confidence around aspects of supporting healthy pregnancy weight gain, and process measures. RESULTS: There were 7577 views across all pages over a year period, accessed by participants across 22 Queensland locations. Pre- and post- training questionnaires were completed 217 and 135 times, respectively. The proportion of participants with scores over 85% and of 100% for objective knowledge was higher post training (P ≤ .001). Perceived confidence improved across all areas for 88%-96% of those who completed the post- training questionnaire. All respondents would recommend the training to others. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians from a range of disciplines, experience and locations accessed and valued the training, and knowledge of, and confidence in delivering care to support healthy pregnancy weight gain improved after completion. SO WHAT?: This effective program to build the capacity of clinicians to support healthy pregnancy weight gain offers a model for online, flexible training highly valued by clinicians. Its adoption and promotion could standardise the support provided to women to encourage healthy weight gain during pregnancy.

Affordability of Heathy, Equitable and More Sustainable Diets in Low-Income Households in Brisbane before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased food insecurity worldwide, yet there has been limited assessment of shifts in the cost and affordability of healthy, equitable and sustainable diets. This study explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and income supplements provided by the Australian government on diet cost and affordability for low-income households in an Australian urban area. The Healthy Diets ASAP method protocol was applied to assess the cost and cost differential of current and recommended diets before (in 2019) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (late 2020) for households with a minimum-wage and welfare-only disposable household income, by area of socioeconomic disadvantage, in Greater Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Data were collected between August and October, 2020, from 78 food outlets and compared with data collected in the same locations between May and October, 2019, in an earlier study. The price of most healthy food groups increased significantly during the pandemic-with the exception of vegetables and legumes, which decreased. Conversely, the price of discretionary foods and drinks did not increase during the pandemic. The cost of the current and recommended diets significantly increased throughout this period, but the latter continued to be less expensive than the former. Due to income supplements provided between May and September 2020, the affordability of the recommended diet improved greatly, by 27% and 42%, for households with minimum-wage and welfare-only disposable household income, respectively. This improvement in the affordability of the recommended diet highlights the need to permanently increase welfare support for low-income families to ensure food security.