Key result
Postnatal lifestyle interventions for CVD risk reduction after adverse pregnancy outcomes are desired by women, though only 33% of included qualitative studies recruited ethnically diverse cohorts.
Why the study?
CVD risk is doubled after adverse pregnancy outcomes, which disproportionately affect ethnic minorities and socio-economically deprived women, but women's perspectives on postnatal lifestyle interventions remain to be examined.
What are women's perspectives on postnatal lifestyle interventions to address long-term CVD risk after adverse pregnancy outcomes?
Systematic Review
What are women's perspectives on postnatal lifestyle interventions to address long-term CVD risk after adverse pregnancy outcomes?
Women with adverse pregnancy outcomes desire structured post-partum follow-up to address long-term cardiovascular risk, highlighting a gap between highly monitored pregnancies and inadequate post-partum care.
Supports routine structured post-partum follow-up for CVD risk reduction after adverse pregnancy outcomes; extends qualitative evidence on women's unmet needs.
Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk increases following adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) including hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), preterm labour, and foetal growth restriction. APOs disproportionately affect women of certain ethnic minorities and those who are socio-economically deprived. Risk of CVD after APOs is approximately doubled and two-thirds of women experiencing pre-eclampsia die prematurely from CVD. Aim This review examines women’s perspectives on postnatal lifestyle interventions to address long-term CVD risk, focusing on highest-risk groups. Method Qualitative systematic review and thematic synthesis. A protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD420250654735). Papers were included if they contained qualitative components reporting views on addressing CVD risk in women experiencing APOs. Results Of 1887 screened articles 33% of included papers demonstrated recruitment of an ethnically diverse participant group, 39% demonstrated diversity of socioeconomic status. Themes from the synthesis were 1) pregnancy is a motivator for lifestyle change but many barriers exist, including lack of physical and psychological recovery and guilt at self-prioritisation, and 2) women felt abandoned, seeing a contrast between highly monitored pregnancies and inadequate post-partum care. They desire structured post-partum follow-up with formal recalls, those from higher risk groups are particularly unlikely to seek follow-up independently. We will run a series of community-based workshops with minority ethnic groups in early 2026. Workshops will be co-facilitated by community link workers. Review findings will be presented and future research priorities will be identified. Findings of both the qualitative evidence synthesis and community-based workshops will be presented at conference.
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Hodges et al. (2026) conducted a systematic review in Adverse pregnancy outcomes and cardiovascular risk. Postnatal lifestyle interventions was evaluated on Women's perspectives on postnatal lifestyle interventions to address long-term CVD risk. Postnatal lifestyle interventions for CVD risk reduction after adverse pregnancy outcomes are desired by women, though only 33% of included qualitative studies recruited ethnically diverse cohorts.
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