Several focus groups were conducted throughout the development of this
campaign to gain
insight
to the attitudes and beliefs of pregnant women
and health care providers around prenatal
weight
gain. The following
summarizes the pregnant women's perspectives on inadequate weight
gain
during pregnancy. For more information on the physician's focus group
findings or
material/message
testing with pregnant women and nurses,
call 303-692-2487.
Inadequate Weight Gain During Pregnancy - A Focus Group Research Study
Summer 2002
Conducted by: Susan Eliot, MSPH Custom Measure
Summary:
To develop appropriate campaign messages it is necessary to first understand the underlying
causes and motivations for inadequate weight gain among pregnant women. During the summer
of 2002, six focus groups were conducted with Hispanic and Caucasian pregnant women of
different
ages and economic strata to gain this understanding.
Major findings of this study are as follows:
- Mid- to high-income women say their physicians do not speak to them about appropriate
weight gain during pregnancy. Low-income women, however, receive information from
nurse practitioners/midwives.
- "I'm supposed to gain 25 pounds but I don't think it's going to happen. At 31 weeks
I've gained 9 pounds so far.......until this last visit they didn't say anything."
- "Even if it's my second or third pregnancy the doctor needs to know that I need
to hear it again."
- Although pregnant women are comfortable talking to their doctors about weight gain,
most did not feel that their doctors wanted to talk to them about weight gain. They want
doctors to tell them what they should be eating and gaining during various stages of their
pregnancy.
- "It seems like doctors feel it's such common information they're bored by it and
don't think we want to hear about it.......but we do."
- "I wish my doctor would ask 'what are you eating, 'how are you eating, 'how often
are you eating,' but he just listens to the heart beat."
- With the exception of monolingual Hispanic women, the number one reason given for
inadequate weight gain during pregnancy was the fear of becoming overweight, either
during or after the pregnancy.
- "I have friends who don't want to look pregnant. They don't think it's OK to look
fat. They're afraid of what their boyfriend might say."
- "I know three pregnant women (in their 30's) who have pictures of models on the
inside of their kitchen cupboards so when they open the cupboard they don't eat
so much."
- Many pregnant women want to keep their pregnancy weight at the low end of the
recommended range in an effort to maintain a slim body image.
- "The doctor said 25 to 35 but I don't want to go over 25."
- Pregnant women who have experienced both types of providers preferred talking to a nurse
or nurse-midwife rather than a doctor about pregnancy weight gain.
- "I feel more comfortable asking the nurse questions than the doctor."
- Although most women receive encouragement to gain weight during pregnancy from family
members and friends, some are still influenced by low weight gain guidelines of a previous
generation.
- "During my first pregnancy my husband was concerned I'd gain too much because
his mother did (and didn't lose it afterward). After he saw how I lost it in my first
pregnancy he's OK this time."
- "My boyfriend isn't crazy about weight gain in general.......he's not around now but
I don't think he'd like it if he knew."
- Many women are skeptical about the direct correlation between adequate weight gain
during pregnancy and healthy birth outcomes because they themselves or other women
they know have had normal weight babies despite inadequate weight gain during their
pregnancies.
- "The nutrients one consumes are more important than the mere fact of gaining
weight."
- "You may gain 4 pounds but have a 9 pound baby because you've eaten the right
things."
- "So what if it is small.......what difference does it make.......6 pounds or 8 pounds."
- "I don't think about it.......they told me if the baby was born today (at 4.5 lbs.) it
would be healthy."
