Health Concerns/Challenges During Pregnancy in West Australia

Running head: HEALTH CONCERNS/CHALLENGES DURING PREGNANCY 1
Research Proposal: Health Concerns/Challenges Facing Pregnant Mothers in the
Wheat Belt Region of West Australia
Name
Institution

HEALTH CONCERNS/CHALLENGES DURING PREGNANCY 2
Background Information
The Wheat belt region is made up of four health districts, which include: Coastal,
Eastern, Southern, and Western Districts. However, the health care service system for
pregnant mothers is deploring. There are only two hospitals with birthing services while the
rest are community-based centers using the services of a midwife (WA Country Health
Service, 2015; Government of Western Australia, 2019). As a result, the efficacy and
efficiency of maternal services during pregnancy are a concern; yet, various problems are
bound to occur during pregnancy, for example, iron deficiency anemia, high blood pressure,
miscarriage, and gestational diabetes (National Institute of Health, 2017). These health
problems during pregnancy result in negative pregnancy outcomes, which are deemed to be
markers of the adequacy of antenatal care services within a particular region (Telethon
Institute for Child Health Research, 2006).
Despite the fact that there is much focus on maternal health, the facets of maternal
morbidity remain unknown due to the difficulties in measurement approaches (Filippi,
Barreix, Chou, & Say, 2018). Thereby, the current study aims to develop a framework for
researchers and policymakers in understanding the facets that pose as a challenge during
pregnancy, but with a special focus on the wheat belt region in West Australia. Pregnancy
outcomes are well understood, but the factors underlying these outcomes remain unknown.
Hence, it is paramount to understand different health concerns and challenges pregnant
mothers experience resulting in the different pregnancy outcomes.
Aboriginal women face more health challenges compared to their non-aboriginal
counterparts; hence, they experience poorer pregnancy outcomes in reference to infant
mortality and weight (WA Country Health Service, 2015). Attaining a positive lifestyle
during pregnancy is a challenge to various pregnant mothers and is aggravated by poor
service delivery as indicated by Bar-Zeev, Skelton, Bonevski, Gruppetta, and Gould (2019).

HEALTH CONCERNS/CHALLENGES DURING PREGNANCY 3
A healthy transition during pregnancy can help to attain positive outcomes; hence, the current
study aims to determine the efficacy of antennal care among pregnant women in the wheat
belt region of Australia. The study will be guided by the following objectives:
a. To assess the presence of antenatal care in the wheat belt region;
b. To determine the time of initiating antenatal care among pregnant women in the
wheat belt region;
c. To establish the services provided at different visits;
d. To understand the different challenges that prevent a successful pregnancy;
e. To develop a conceptual framework model that will form the basis for interventions
and future quantitative studies.
Literature Review
Pregnancy is a critical health period for a mother whose health status is bound to
affect the wellbeing of the growing fetus. The antenatal care units are set up to help mothers
get the needed healthcare services and associated support during the pregnancy period.
However, a sequential explanatory mixed method design in Tanzania, Africa conducted by
Konje et al. showed that accessibility to effective ANC services is a challenge to pregnant
women, resulting in late initiation of ANC services and poor quality of care that does not
guarantee quality pregnancy outcomes (2018). Thereby, the current study aims to extend the
findings from this study by determining the quality of ANC services in effectively curbing
and managing health problems that are a major source of high rates of maternal morbidity
and mortality (Naseem et al., 2016; Narayan, 2017).
Access to accurate and relevant information during pregnancy is paramount as it helps
pregnant mothers in caring for themselves, and subsequently, improving their overall quality
of life. Javanmardi, Noroozi, Mostafavi, and Ashrafi-rizi (2019) conducted a qualitative study
in Iran that revealed social, personal, and structural barriers as thwarting access to health