Abstract
Digital health information is an important source of preventive health advice during pregnancy. Its public health value depends on whether advice is guideline-concordant, safe, transparent and understandable. This study aimed to assess the guideline concordance, content coverage, safety information, transparency and readability of Australian consumer-facing webpages providing advice about physical activity during pregnancy. We conducted a systematic, cross-sectional audit of English-language, freely accessible webpages affiliated with Australian organisations that provided substantive advice about physical activity or exercise during pregnancy. Searches were undertaken between June and July 2025, with data collection continuing until September 2025. Data were extracted using a structured checklist mapped to Australian pregnancy physical activity guidelines. Transparency was assessed using Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmarks and readability using Flesch Reading Ease (FRE), Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) and Simplified Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG). Sixty webpages were included. Most encouraged physical activity during pregnancy, but practical guidance and essential safety information were often incomplete. Fourteen webpages (23.3%) reported weekly exercise volume consistent with current guidelines. Fourteen (23.3%) included no warning signs, relative contraindications or absolute contraindications, and only four (6.7%) covered all three safety domains. Transparency was limited: authorship was reported by 12 webpages (20.0%), attribution by 16 (26.7%), disclosure by three (5.0%), and currency by none. Readability exceeded recommended levels for consumer materials; no webpage met the SMOG threshold of 8 or below. Australian online information about physical activity during pregnancy is often not fit for purpose as public-facing preventive health guidance. Minimum standards for safety content, transparency and readability may improve the quality and accessibility of digital antenatal health information.