Psychometric properties of the Scale of Attitudes towards Pregnancy and Weight Gain in Mexican population

Abstract

Introduction. Physical changes during pregnancy trigger a positive or negative emotional response to the body image of the future mother. Since this response can affect the health of the mother and the fetus, it is necessary to have valid instruments to evaluate body image in pregnant women. Objective. To validate in Spanish the Scale of Attitudes towards Pregnancy and Weight Gain in Mexican population. Method. The study was conducted in two phases: it was culturally adapted to determine the linguistic validity and then its psychometric properties were verified through confirmatory exploratory factor analysis. Results. Participants included 520 pregnant women over 18 attending prenatal consultation, with a mean age of 23.56 ± 5.89 and with a mean of 33.20 ± 6.69 gestation weeks. The exploratory analysis defined five components that explain 56.04% of the total variance of the 18 items with acceptable internal consistency (α = 78). Factor analysis confirmed five factors (negative attitude towards the increase of gestational weight, positive body image, control of gestational weight, concern over gestational weight and restrictive behavior in response to gestational weight) with adequate fit indices (χ2/gl = 2.57, IFI = .90, CFI = .90, RMSEA = .05 (90% CI [.048, .062], p =.12), SRMR = .05) Discussion and conclusion. The instrument has good psychometric properties and is recommended as a valid tool for assessing attitudes toward body image in Mexican women during the period of pregnancy.

Body Acceptance by Pregnant Women and Their Attitudes toward Pregnancy and Maternity as Predictors of Prenatal Depression

“…Our findings suggest that health professionals, midwives, and psychologists working with pregnant women should also consider the negative evaluation of appearance and body dissatisfaction as a risk factor and positive maternal attitudes toward pregnancy and motherhood as a protective factor. We agree with the conclusion of Guzman-Ortiz et al [ 56 ] that an important task for prenatal care professionals is to consider assessing body image during pregnancy. This would allow pregnant women (especially in the middle of their second or early third trimester) with body image problems to be identified, help them accept changes in their physical appearance, and protect them from perinatal depression.…”

Comportamento alimentar e ganho de peso em gestantes atendidas em um programa de saúde do adolescente (PROSAD)/ Eating behavior and weight gain in pregnant women attending an adolescent health program (PROSAD)

“…A insatisfação com a imagem corporal durante a gravidez está relacionada a efeitos adversos na saúde da mãe, como depressão e ansiedade, incluindo comportamentos alimentares não saudáveis, como compulsão alimentar ou jejum intermitente, e controle do ganho de peso gestacional (GUZMAN-ORTIZ et al, 2019).…”

“…Dessa forma, Brazilian Journal of Health Review, Curitiba, v. 5, n. 2,6958-6970, mar./apr., 2022. seus neonatos podem apresentar maior risco de alterações no peso e comprimento ao nascer (SAMANO et al, 2021). Todos esses problemas associados podem afetar a saúde do feto a curto e longo prazo (GUZMAN-ORTIZ et al, 2019).…”