Supporting healthy pregnancies: Examining variations in nutrition, weight management and substance abuse advice provision by prenatal care providers in Alberta, Canada. A study using the All Our Families cohort

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy is a critical time for fetal development, and education of women regarding healthy lifestyle choices is an important function for prenatal care providers, those that provide care to women during pregnancy. Within Canada, women choose to receive pregnancy care from one of a variety of publicly funded care providers. This study examines the association between the type of care provider(s) seen during pregnancy and the provision of advice related to nutrition, weight management and substance abuse. METHODS: Using data from the Alberta-based All Our Families prospective pregnancy cohort, we conducted bivariate and multivariate analyses to determine the likelihood of receiving advice related to nutrition, weight management, and substance abuse across provider(s) seen. RESULTS: Of 3341 women in our sample, 38% saw a single provider during pregnancy and 56% received care from multiple providers. Advice on nutrition was more likely to be provided across all providers, while weight management and substance abuse was less frequently and less consistently discussed. Relative to doctors in low-risk maternity clinics, midwives were most likely to provide nutrition (OR: 3.09, 95% CI: 1.19–8.01) and weight management (OR: 1.99, 95% CI: 1.13–3.50) advice to women. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that the type of prenatal advice received by women depends on the provider(s) seen during pregnancy. Substance abuse was least likely to be discussed across providers, suggesting important implications given recent cannabis legalization.