Pre-conception Weight Loss Information on the Internet: A Website Quality Assessment

Abstract

The prevalence of maternal obesity has risen dramatically in Australia and is associated with an increased risk of adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes. Clinical recommendations indicate the pre-conception period represents an unprecedented opportunity to influence the health of overweight and obese women planning pregnancy. Research has shown that women use information sourced online to make healthcare decisions, however, there are concerns about the lack of quality information provided on health promotion websites. This research investigated the quality of websites that pre-pregnant women in Australia were likely to find when searching the Internet for weight loss information. Search terms identified from previous semi-structured interviews with 12 women were subsequently used by the author to identify websites for analysis. A previously developed website quality assessment tool was adapted and used to measure the quality of websites in relation to seven evidence-based criteria. Results demonstrate that few websites reflect current diet and exercise guidelines ascribed to by health professionals, and fail to utilise behaviour change techniques to facilitate weight loss. This study may facilitate the development of gold standard health promotion websites tailored to pre-pregnant women.