Pregnant women's knowledge, practices, and needs related to food safety and listeriosis: a study in British Columbia.

OBJECTIVE

To understand the knowledge, attitudes, practices, and needs of pregnant women regarding food safety, including the risk of listeriosis, in order to develop targeted messages and educational resources in British Columbia (BC).

DESIGN

Qualitative study using focus groups and quantitative study using a standardized questionnaire.

SETTING

Seven family practice clinics in BC. Focus groups were conducted in 3 program groups for new mothers.

PARTICIPANTS

Pregnant women and women who had recently delivered babies.

METHODS

Three focus groups were conducted with women who had recently delivered. Qualitative analysis to identify common themes was conducted. A questionnaire was completed by pregnant women at their health care providers' (HCPs') offices. Statistical analysis was done to assess associations between demographic features, knowledge, and practices. Results from both study methods were compared and common findings were presented.

MAIN FINDINGS: Participants reported that food safety and the risk of listeriosis were important to them during pregnancy; however, their knowledge of high-risk foods and safe food practices was limited. Although they identified their HCPs as a valuable source of information, they explained there were barriers to getting information from them. Participants reported doing their own research using books, websites, and social networks. They made recommendations to improve food safety messages, as well as the availability and format of resources.

CONCLUSION

Women in BC identified a gap between the information on food safety and listeriosis that they needed during pregnancy and the resources that were available. Using the information collected from this study, resources that are targeted at women of childbearing years, as well as their HCPs, are under development in BC.