Abstract
Background: The Australasian Maternity Outcomes Surveillance System (AMOSS) combines a clinical and population-based health approach to study the burden and outcomes of rare and serious conditions in pregnancy. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence and health service impact of extreme obesity in pregnancy in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ). Method: Morbid obesity was defined as >140 kg and/or a BMI > 50 at any point during pregnancy. De-identified data were collected from eligible maternity units (>50 births/year) throughout ANZ via a secure web-based survey system during 2010. A separate web-survey covering issues related to policies and management of extreme obesity in pregnancy was administered to maternity units. Results: Preliminary results show an incidence of 1.7/1000 women (n = 307) who gave birth had extreme morbid obesity. Mean age of 30 years (range 17—47 years) and 38% were primiparous. 51% gave birth by caesarean section. Women were not routinely weighed at antenatal booking in 17% of cases. The majority of hospitals (72%) rated the resource burden on their units as medium/high for managing extreme morbid obesity. Risk management processes varied, and 63% of maternity unit responded that there was no referral process to a special clinic or risk management process for pregnant women with extreme morbid obesity. In comments about management, 22% of maternity unit respondents expressed concern about existing policies related to risk management and transfer. Conclusions: There are significant challenges in providing quality care for women with extreme morbid obesity in pregnancy related to risk management, policies and available resources.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | S25-S25 |
Number of pages | 1 |
Journal | Women and Birth |
Volume | 24 |
Issue number | Suppl. 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2011 |
Keywords
- morbid obesity
- pregnancy
- Australia
- New Zealand
- medical care