Psychological constructs and maternal weight gain

Abstract

Maternal weight gain within the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) weight gain recommendations is associated with more favorable outcomes. Despite these recommendations, research indicates that only 30-40% of women gain within IOM recommendations. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between psychological constructs of self-efficacy, self-esteem, body image, and social support and maternal weight gain. Using an exploratory survey design, data were collected from pregnant women living in a rural island community during their third trimester of pregnancy. Survey tools were used to measure the association between the demographic variables of age, education, and ethnicity, and the psychological constructs of self-efficacy, self-esteem, body image and social support, and maternal weight gain. Descriptive statistics, correlations, and ordinal logistic regression were conducted to answer research questions one and two. There were 64 adult female participants between the ages of 19 and 40 years. All participants had a high school education or higher. This sample of women was multiethnic, with a majority represented by Native Hawaiians and Asians. In this study, the demographic variables of age, education, and ethnicity did not have a significant effect on maternal weight gain. When the psychological constructs were placed in the ordinal logistic model, self-esteem and social support were not significant, but self-efficacy and body image had a statistically significant negative effect on maternal weight gain based on IOM recommendations. These findings indicate different approaches may be necessary to help pregnant women gain adequate weight during pregnancy. Understanding the relationship between psychological constructs related to poor maternal weight gain may help health care professionals as they provide counseling, education, and preventative health care to pregnant women.