Dietary habits and supplementation practices of young women during pregnancy: an online cross-sectional survey of young mothers and health care professionals.

Avoiding or reducing major food groups was reported which can indicate a poor dietary pattern. A positive change in dietary intake reported by the majority of young women in this survey indicates willingness to adopt a healthy lifestyle. This, in addition to their trust in health professionals particularly midwives, provides an opportunity for health interventions which support behaviour change to improve birth outcomes. Identified gaps in knowledge and confidence by health professionals in providing dietary advice highlight the need for some additional training for health professionals in delivering dietary and lifestyle behaviour change interventions. Independent and trustworthy online resources for women and their health professionals which can be accessed at any time to provide up to date information in between appointments are also required.