Research Article

Australian Pregnant Women’s Awareness of Gestational Weight Gain and Dietary Guidelines: Opportunity for Action

Table 3

Women’s awareness of the recommended approaches to achieve healthy diet and better GWG management.

Correct

Broad nutrition knowledgeDo you think this behaviour help in preventing too much weight gain during pregnancy
Eating less dietary fibre265 (81.3%)
Eating less saturated fat289 (88.7%)
Eating more fruit and vegetables291 (89.3%)
Engaging in at least 30 minutes of vigorous exercise every day56 (17.2)
Energy requirements in pregnancy
Do you think women’s energy requirements (kilojoules/day) change during pregnancy?303 (92.9%)
Do you think pregnant women’s energy requirements (kilojoules/day) varies according to the different stages (trimesters) of pregnancy?293 (89.9%)
Do you think there is a need to increase food quantity during pregnancy (“eating for two adults”) for the benefit of the baby?252 (77.3%)

Detailed nutrition knowledgeHow many serves are recommended a day?What do you think is the recommended number of servings of:
Fruit and vegetables152 (46.6%)
Dairy foods181 (55.5%)
Protein foods94 (28.8%)
Bread and cereals112 (34.4%)
Extra foods288 (88.3%)
How much is a serve?Do the following amounts of foods represent one serve, less than one or more than one serve:
2 slices of bread210 (64.4%)
1.5 cup of breakfast cereal flakes or porridge177 (54.3%)
3/4 cup cooked rice, pasta and noodles61 (18.7)
1 medium potato264 (81%)
5 strawberries90 (27.6%)
20 grapes151 (46.3%)
150 g yoghurt36 (11%)
20 g (1 slice) cheese124 (38%)
100 g of meat & chicken248 (76.1%)
80–120 g cooked fish fillet254 (77.9%)
1 chocolate bar190 (58.3%)
1 scoop of ice cream 47 (14.4%)
1 meat pie225 (69%)
A healthy dinner plate should consist of 1/2 vegetables, 1/4 protein and 1/4 carbohydrates250 (76.7%)
Nutrients content of common food itemsFood source is high/low of following nutrients
Sugar
 Bananas275 (84.4%)
 Strawberry yoghurt230 (70.6%)
 Orange 35% juice295 (90.5%)
 Muesli bar264 (81%)
Dietary fibre
 Cornflakes183 (56.1%)
 Bananas245 (75.2%)
 Wholegrain bread307 (94.2%)
 Fish219 (67.2%)
Saturated fat
 Lean red meat266 (81.6%)
 Whole milk211 (64.7%)
 Avocado198 (60.7%)
 Vegetarian pastry210 (64.4%)
Which of these breads contains the most dietary fibre? (a) white bread, (b) wholemeal bread, (c) wholegrain bread 231 (70.9%)
Select the most energy dense macronutrient74 (22.7%)
Food choicesThe best choice for a low fat, high fibre light meal250 (76.7%)
The healthier option of spaghetti bolognese (proportion of carbohydrates to fat)48 (14.7%)
The healthier option of sweet but low in add sugar food280 (85.9%)

Data in (%).