Weight, Diet, and Physical Activity-Related Beliefs and Practices Among Pregnant and Postpartum Latino Women: The Role of Social Support

Abstract

Objectives: Eating and physical activity patterns may contribute to excessive pregnancy weight gain and postpartum retention that increase the risks of obesity and diabetes for both Latino mothers and their children. Social support is an important health determinant and may affect health-related beliefs and behaviors. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of social support on weight, diet, and physical activity-related beliefs and behaviors among pregnant and postpartum Latinas. Methods: A community-based participatory project, Promoting Healthy Lifestyles among Women, was conducted in southwest Detroit to plan interventions aimed at reducing risks of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Qualitative analyses of in-depth semistructured interviews with dyads of 10 pregnant and postpartum Latinas, and 10 people who influenced them were conducted. Results: Husbands and some female relatives were primary sources of emotional, instrumental, and informational support for weight, diet, and physical activity-related beliefs and behaviors for Latina participants. Holistic health beliefs and the opinions of others consistently influenced Latinas' motivation and beliefs about the need to remain healthy and the links between behavior and health. Absence of mothers, other female relatives, and friends to provide childcare, companionship for exercise, and advice about food were prominent barriers that limited women's ability to maintain healthy practices during and after pregnancy. Conclusion: The findings support evidence that low-income, recently immigrated pregnant and postpartum Latinas could benefit from community-based, family-oriented interventions that provide social support necessary to promote and sustain healthy lifestyles.

The views of pre- and post-natal women and health professionals regarding gestational weight gain: An exploratory study

“…Findings from the current study, as well as past research [20][21][22][23]31], clearly show that pregnant women need for more information regarding what constitutes a healthy gestational weight gain, the importance of it and how to maintain this weight.…”

“…Consequently, before designing an intervention targeting gestational weight gain we wanted to explore women's views towards this issue. Although there is emerging evidence that English women are not very concerned about their weight gain in pregnancy [20], most of the research to date has been conducted in USA [21][22][23]. Thus, more exploration of English pregnant women's views of weight gain in pregnancy is necessary [24] as well as the views of health professionals.…”

Psychosocial Factors and Health Behavior among Korean Adults: A Cross-sectional Study

“…This observation is in line with the finding that people with low agreeableness have greater difficulty maintaining abstinence than those with a higher level of agreeableness (Hooten et al, 2005). Surprisingly, in this study, higher agreeableness predicted a poor or unhealthy diet pattern, which is inconsistent with previous findings that more agreeable individuals have a more positive approach toward health diets and vegetable consumption (de Bruijn et al, 2005;Thornton et al, 2006). This discrepancy may be attributed to the spontaneity and independence of the individuals interviewed in this study.…”

Evidence-based clinical guidelines for immigrants and refugees

“…Language barriers and cultural considerations, [689][690][691] as well as eligibility for health services, play important roles in access to care. Patients may fear that requests for additional services will reduce their chances of successfully remaining in Canada.…”