African American and White Women’s Perceptions of Weight Gain, Physical Activity, and Nutrition During Pregnancy

Kara M Whitaker; Sara Wilcox; Jihong Liu; Steven N Blair; Russell R Pate

doi:10.1016/j.midw.2015.11.005

Back

African American and White Women’s Perceptions of Weight Gain, Physical Activity, and Nutrition During Pregnancy

Journal article

Peer reviewed

African American and White Women’s Perceptions of Weight Gain, Physical Activity, and Nutrition During Pregnancy

Kara M Whitaker, Sara Wilcox, Jihong Liu, Steven N Blair and Russell R Pate

Midwifery, Vol.34, pp.211-220

03/2016

DOI: 10.1016/j.midw.2015.11.005

PMCID: PMC4792697

PMID: 26612000

View Online

Abstract

Objective: To describe African American and White women's perceptions of weight gain, physical activity, and nutrition during pregnancy and to explore differences in perceptions by race. Design: Qualitative interview study. Setting: Two Ob/Gyn clinics in South Carolina, USA. Participants: Thirty pregnant women (15 African American, 15 White) between 20 and 30 weeks gestation, equally represented across pre-pregnancy BMI categories (10 normal weight, 10 overweight, and 10 obese). Findings: White women more frequently described intentions to meet weight gain, physical activity, and dietary guidelines in pregnancy than African American women. African American women were more concerned with inadequate weight gain while White women more commonly expressed concerns about excessive weight gain. More White women discussed the importance of physical activity for weight management. Regardless of race, few women described risks of excessive weight gain or benefits of physical activity as it relates to the baby's health. The primary cited barrier of healthy eating was the high cost of fresh produce. Key conclusions and implications for practice: Several knowledge gaps as well as race differences were identified in women's perceptions and intentions toward weight gain, physical activity, and nutrition during pregnancy. Future interventions should seek to educate women about common misperceptions. It may be necessary to culturally tailor gestational weight gain interventions to optimise health outcomes.

Pregnancy

nutrition

weight gain

physical activity

Details

Title: Subtitle: African American and White Women’s Perceptions of Weight Gain, Physical Activity, and Nutrition During Pregnancy
Creators: Kara M Whitaker - Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
Sara Wilcox - Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
Jihong Liu - Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
Steven N Blair - Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
Russell R Pate - Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Midwifery, Vol.34, pp.211-220
DOI: 10.1016/j.midw.2015.11.005
PMID: 26612000
PMCID: PMC4792697
NLM abbreviation: Midwifery
ISSN: 0266-6138
eISSN: 1532-3099
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Grant note: name: SPARC; name: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, award: T32-GM081740
Language: English
Date published: 03/2016
Academic Unit: Epidemiology; Health, Sport, and Human Physiology
Record Identifier: 9984002443902771

Metrics

33 Record Views

36 Times Cited - Web of Science