Listeria education in pregnancy: lost opportunity for health professionals

To explore the level of Listeria awareness among pregnant women attending antenatal services and to gain a better understanding of women's knowledge of Listeria risk and factors that affect their practice in this regard.

This was a cross-sectional study carried out from April to November 2006 using a convenience sample of pregnant women attending antenatal clinics/classes in one private and two major public hospitals in South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Area Health Services, New South Wales. Women were asked to participate by completing a self-administered questionnaire based on the standard food safety recommendations for pregnant women to avoid Listeria infection. The association between different socio-demographic variables and Listeria knowledge, and related food practices, were investigated using bivariate and multivariate analysis.

Nearly half of the 586 respondents had received some kind of information on Listeria prevention. The main channel for obtaining information was social environment. More than 57% had an incomplete knowledge of foods with high Listeria risk, and approximately 25% continued the consumption of these foods with a relatively high frequency. A strong association was found between women's knowledge and their practice. Lower education and household income, unplanned pregnancy and non-English-speaking background were associated with incomplete knowledge and more frequent consumption of at-risk foods.

The provision of advice on Listeria prevention appears to be insufficient during prenatal consultations early in pregnancy and needs to be improved as an essential component of these services.