Citation: Jacob, C.M.; Inskip, H.M.; Lawrence, W.; McGrath, C.; McAuliffe, F.M.; Killeen, S.L.; Divakar, H.; Hanson, M. Acceptability of the FIGO Nutrition Checklist in Preconception and Early Pregnancy to Assess Nutritional Status and Prevent Excess Gestational Weight Gain: A Study of Women and Healthcare Practitioners in the UK. Nutrients 2022, 14, 3623. https://doi.org/10.3390/ nu14173623 Academic Editors: Irene Cetin and Francesca Parisi Received: 15 July 2022 Accepted: 30 August 2022 Published: 1 September 2022 Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affil- iations. Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). nutrients Article Acceptability of the FIGO Nutrition Checklist in Preconception and Early Pregnancy to Assess Nutritional Status and Prevent Excess Gestational Weight Gain: A Study of Women and Healthcare Practitioners in the UK Chandni Maria Jacob 1,2, * , Hazel M. Inskip 3 , Wendy Lawrence 2,3 , Carmel McGrath 2,4 , Fionnuala M. McAuliffe 5 , Sarah Louise Killeen 5 , Hema Divakar 6 and Mark Hanson 1,2 1 Institute of Developmental Sciences, School of Human Development and Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK 2 NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, University of Southampton, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK 3 Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK 4 School of Human Development and Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK 5 UCD Perinatal Research Centre, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, National Maternity Hospital, D02 YH21 Dublin, Ireland 6 Divakar’s Specialty Hospital, Bengaluru 560078, India * Correspondence: c.m.jacob@soton.ac.uk Abstract: Optimum nutrition and weight before and during pregnancy are associated with a lower risk of conditions such as pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes. There is a lack of user-friendly tools in most clinical settings to support healthcare practitioners (HCPs) in implementing them. This study aimed to evaluate the acceptability of (1) using a nutrition checklist designed by the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) for nutritional screening of women in the preconception and early pregnancy period and (2) routine discussion of nutrition and weight in clinical care. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted with women (aged 18–45) and HCPs (e.g., general practitioners, obstetricians, and midwives). Quantitative statistical analysis and qualitative content analysis were performed. The concept and content of the checklist were acceptable to women (n = 251) and HCPs (n = 47) (over 80% in both groups). Several barriers exist to implementation such as lack of time, training for HCPs, and the need for sensitive and non-stigmatizing communication. Routine discussion of nutrition was considered important by both groups; however, results suggest that nutrition is not regularly discussed in perinatal visits in the UK. The FIGO nutrition checklist presents a valuable resource for use in clinical practice, offering long-term and intergenerational benefits for both mother and baby. Keywords: nutrition; pregnancy; preconception; non-communicable diseases; gestational weight gain; nutrition counselling; obesity; person-centered care 1. Introduction 1.1. Impact of Nutrition on Pregnancy and Offspring Health across the Life Course Overweight and obesity (measured using Body Mass Index (BMI)) can lead to compli- cations before pregnancy, such as infertility and polycystic ovarian syndrome, and during pregnancy, such as pregnancy loss, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and higher risk of intervention during delivery [1]. Conditions such as allergies, childhood obesity and congenital anomalies have also been associated with maternal obesity [1–4]. Women with a history of GDM also have a higher risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as type 2 diabetes in later life. Having a healthy, balanced diet is fundamental to body Nutrients 2022, 14, 3623. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14173623 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients