Pregnant women are one of higher-risk groups for foodborne illness. Changes in immune system make women more exposed to microbiological risks in general, and more susceptible to contracting specific pathogens that can cause severe diseases and can be passed to the fetus. Therefore, it is important to provide pregnant women with correct information on how to protect themselves from food risks.
Internet has become a key channel to seek food risks information but sometimes the contents that are found could be inaccurate or even incorrect.
The research project here presented aims to improve knowledge and awareness of foodborne diseases among pregnant women in Italy, providing reliable information from a public health institution.
To develop an effective communication, an analysis of the target audience’s information needs was performed. An online survey was carried out to map women's perception, knowledge and behaviour. Both pregnant women (n=500) and non-pregnant (n=500) women were interviewed to compare their level of awareness of food related risks. Pregnant women feel on average more exposed to food risks and more informed on the topic than non-pregnant women. In general, they show a greater knowledge of the most common infections although 19.4% do not know toxoplasmosis or do not know how it is transmitted and 52.2% ignores that for listeriosis. The majority of pregnant women declare to seek information on food risks and the web search engines are the most used channel.
Alongside the survey, a qualitative investigation was realized by means of the World Café, a participatory research method that fosters informal communication and sharing of personal narratives on concrete issues related to everyday life. Three World Café meetings were organized to collect information on pregnant women’s experiences, perceptions and doubts. During the meetings the women had a conversation with scientific experts about foodborne infections in pregnancy.
The contents of the communication campaign were designed starting from the data gathered through the survey and the World Café meetings. A website ( www.alimentigravidanza.it ) was realized and disseminated. Multilingual brochures targeted to pregnant women of diverse ethnic communities were created to promote inclusive health education.