Identifying barriers, facilitators, and interventions to support healthy eating in pregnant women with or at risk for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy

Background

Heart-healthy diets are important in the prevention and treatment of hypertension (HTN), including among pregnant women. Yet, the barriers, facilitators, and beliefs/preferences regarding healthy eating are not well described in this population.

Objective

To identify barriers and facilitators to healthy diet, examine the prevalence of food insecurity, and determine interest in specific healthy diet interventions.

Methods

Pregnant women, aged 18–50 years (N = 38), diagnosed with HTN, hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDP), or risk factors for HDP, were recruited from a large academic medical center in central Massachusetts between June 2020 and June 2022. Participants completed an electronic survey using a 5-point Likert scale (strongly disagree to strongly agree).

Results

The mean age of participants was 31.6 years (SD 5.5) and 35.1% identified as Hispanic. Finances and time were major barriers to a healthy diet, reported by 42.1% and 28.9% of participants, respectively. Participants reported that their partners and families were supportive of healthy eating and preparing meals at home, though 30.0% of those with children considered their children’s diet a barrier to preparing healthy meals. Additionally, 40.5% of the sample were considered food insecure. Everyone agreed that healthy diet was important for maternal and fetal health, and the most popular interventions were healthy ingredient grocery deliveries (89.4%) and meal deliveries (84.2%).

Conclusion

Time and cost emerged as major challenges to healthy eating in these pregnant women. Such barriers, facilitators, and preferences can aid in intervention development and policy-level changes to mitigate obstacles to healthy eating in this vulnerable patient population.