Department of Kinesiology, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada.
Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2022 Jul 29;22(1):605. doi: 10.1186/s12884-022-04940-4.
Recent research has shown that pregnant individuals experience weight stigma throughout gestation, including negative comments and judgement associated with gestational weight gain (GWG). Weight bias internalization (WBI) is often a result of exposure to weight stigma and is detrimental to biopsychological health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to explore WBI in pregnancy and compare scores based on maternal weight-related factors including pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), obesity diagnosis and excessive GWG.
Pregnant individuals in Canada and USA completed a modified version of the Adult Weight Bias Internalization Scale. Self-reported pre-pregnancy height and weight were collected to calculate and classify pre-pregnancy BMI. Current weight was also reported to calculate GWG, which was then classified as excessive or not based on Institute of Medicine (2009) guidelines. Participants indicated if they were diagnosed with obesity by a healthcare provider. Inferential analyses were performed comparing WBI scores according to pre-pregnancy BMI, excessive GWG, and obesity diagnosis. Significance was accepted as p < 0.05 and effect sizes accompanied all analyses.
336 pregnant individuals completed the survey, with an average WBI score of 3.9 ± 1.2. WBI was higher among those who had a pre-pregnancy BMI of obese than normal weight (p = 0.04, η = 0.03), diagnosed with obesity than not diagnosed (p < 0.001, Cohen's d = 1.3), and gained excessively versus not (p < 0.001, Cohen's d = 1.2).
Pregnant individuals who have a higher BMI, obesity and gain excessively may experience WBI. Given that weight stigma frequently occurs in pregnancy, effective person-oriented strategies are needed to mitigate stigma and prevent and care for WBI.
最近的研究表明，孕妇在整个孕期都会经历体重歧视，包括与妊娠体重增加相关的负面评论和判断。体重偏见内化（WBI）通常是接触体重歧视的结果，对生物心理健康结果有害。本研究的目的是探讨妊娠中的 WBI，并根据与母体体重相关的因素（包括孕前体重指数（BMI）、肥胖诊断和过度 GWG）比较分数。
加拿大和美国的孕妇完成了成人体重偏见内化量表的修改版。收集自我报告的孕前身高和体重以计算和分类孕前 BMI。还报告了当前体重以计算 GWG，然后根据医学研究所（2009 年）指南将其分类为过度或不。参与者表示他们是否被医疗保健提供者诊断为肥胖。根据孕前 BMI、过度 GWG 和肥胖诊断，进行推断性分析比较 WBI 评分。接受 p < 0.05 的显著性和所有分析都伴随着效应大小。
336 名孕妇完成了调查，平均 WBI 得分为 3.9 ± 1.2。与正常体重相比，孕前 BMI 肥胖的个体 WBI 更高（p = 0.04，η = 0.03），被诊断为肥胖的个体比未被诊断的个体更高（p < 0.001，Cohen's d = 1.3），并且过度增重比未增重的个体更高（p < 0.001，Cohen's d = 1.2）。
BMI 较高、肥胖和过度增重的孕妇可能会经历 WBI。鉴于怀孕期间经常出现体重歧视，需要采取有效的以人为主导的策略来减轻歧视并预防和治疗 WBI。
