Strengthening stakeholder involvement and evidence in pregnancy care through local networks

Abstract Relevance Pregnancy is widely regarded as a unique window of opportunity for prevention. Motivation towards making changes to health behaviours that can positively impact the course of the pregnancy and the health of unborn children increases in expecting individuals. Activities The working group has two primary objectives a) building a robust local network among actors within pregnancy care, public health research, and adjacent disciplines and b) gathering data to effectively support actors and boost informed decision-making among pregnant people and their families. To strengthen local networks and foster interdisciplinary collaboration, we have launched an event series for actors in the field. This involves informal exchanges, but also systematic data collection efforts. To elucidate further, we apply the World Café Method - a participatory, qualitative research approach - to explores ideas and gather insights on facilitators and barriers across various professions and perspectives. Furthermore, a survey study on risk perception towards heat and vaccination among pregnant people was conceptualised with the assistance of insights gained from the working group. In addition to that, several sub-projects using qualitative interviews with both actors and pregnant people are being conducted respectively to adequately capture complex and underlying belief systems towards the respective topics. Impact Within our network across three locations in Baden-Württemberg, we have enabled informal and formal collaborations as well as a productive exchange across professions. We are working with and alongside actors and participant groups to collect data that identifies important points of intervention. Key message Building a robust local network among actors within pregnancy care enables public health research, and adjacent disciplines as a key part to gather data to effectively support stakeholders and boost informed decision-making on different levels.