WRISK: engaging women to improve risk communication on pregnancy

Public health guidance about reproductive health in the UK is presented within a risk framework and this can conflict with maternal autonomy. Women are often unable to engage with the evidence that underpins issues such as diet and lifestyle choices in pregnancy and decisions about birth. Recent research has called for a more nuanced approach to communicating the risks to health in pregnancy with greater transparency about the principles that underpin guidance, better communication of the evidence base and a better appreciation of the complex experience of pregnancy. 

The WRISK project seeks to empower women by involving them in co-producing principles for communication and providing a platform for critical appraisal and discussion of risk and reproductive health.

We will bring together the interests of public health policy with the complex interests of women to produce principles for a more respectful approach to guidance about health risks and reproductive health.