Using Intervention Mapping to Develop a Workplace Digital Health Intervention for Preconception, Pregnant, and Postpartum Women: The Health in Planning, Pregnancy and Postpartum (HiPPP) Portal.

Digital health interventions that specifically target working women across the preconception, pregnancy and postpartum (PPP) life stages may address the unique barriers to engaging in healthy lifestyle behaviours and self-care during this life phase. This paper describes the development of a workplace digital health intervention to promote healthy lifestyles and wellbeing for PPP women working at a community service organization in Australia. Intervention Mapping is a framework that guides program development, implementation, and evaluation. Steps 1 to 5 of Intervention Mapping methodology (needs assessment through to program implementation) were used, including identification of determinants and change objectives across socioecological levels (i.e., individual, interpersonal, and organisational) and iterative co-design and stakeholder engagement processes. The workplace digital health intervention was successfully developed and implemented as an online portal. Content included key strategies, information, and supports to promote health and wellbeing across PPP, including supporting the return to work in the postpartum period. Examples of resource pages included a parental leave checklist, process flows, Pride resources, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander resources. Findings from a pilot feasibility study indicate the portal was accessible and beneficial for women in PPP life stages. The Intervention Mapping protocol may offer a valuable roadmap for collaborative design of interventions targeting PPP women's behaviour and organisational work culture. Future work is needed to evaluate whether such interventions lead to improvements in women's health and wellbeing.

'It's just the nature of the work': Barriers and enablers to the health and well-being of preconception, pregnant and postpartum working women in a community service organisation.

Poor lifestyle practices, combined with excess weight gain and weight retention during the preconception, pregnancy and postpartum periods can increase health risks for mothers and their children. Little is known about how workplaces impact the health and well-being of women of child-bearing age, particularly across work roles and settings. This qualitative descriptive study explored the enablers and barriers to the healthy lifestyle practices and well-being of women of reproductive age within an Australian community services organisation by capturing the perspectives of both the women and workplace executives. Eleven interviews were conducted with executives (n = 12), and three focus groups and three interviews were conducted with women (n = 16). Data were thematically analysed, and six main themes were identified: blurring of the role and work environment, clarity and equity in policy and entitlements, the nature of community services work, individual responsibility for health, tiered levels of support and a management-driven culture of awareness and support. Barriers included high-stress roles, work targets, sedentary work behaviours, lack of clarity around policies, funding and the emotional labour associated with community services work. Hands-on leadership, open communication, work relationships, resourcing and manager training were identified as facilitators. While findings indicate agreement between executives and the women, many executives focused on the challenges associated with pregnancy in the high-risk workplace environment and did not perceive specific barriers for those in non-frontline roles. Management education to generate an understanding of women's needs during this life stage and increased resourcing to facilitate workplace well-being would be beneficial.