Weight stigma from close others may drive reduced adherence to physical activity and nutrition recommendations during pregnancy and postpartum.

PROBLEM: Weight stigma, defined as negative misconceptions and stereotypes associated with weight, is a social issue in pregnancy and postpartum that can impair engagement in healthy behaviours.

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have not tested the behavioural implications of weight stigma on integral factors that promote maternal and newborn wellbeing, including physical activity (PA) and nutrition.

AIM: To evaluate the relationship between experiencing weight stigma from close others (i.e., family, friends, partners) in pregnancy and postpartum and adherence to PA and nutrition recommendations.

METHODS

Cross-sectional surveys were administered online at ≥13 weeks pregnant, and 3 months postpartum. In both surveys, participants indicated whether they had experienced weight stigma from close others, PA levels, and if their nutrition behaviours had stayed the same/worsened or improved. Participants were grouped as active or inactive referring to international prenatal PA guidelines, and as improved or stayed the same/worsened nutrition. Logistic regression analyses tested the relationship between frequency of weight stigma and adherence to recommendations. Significance was accepted as p < 0.05.

FINDINGS: The surveys were completed by 463 participants, and 397 (85.7%) had experienced weight stigma in pregnancy and 341 (74.6%) in postpartum. Frequency of weight stigma was significantly associated with adherence to prenatal PA (β=0.59, Odds Ratio [OR]=1.80, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]=1.3, 2.3, p < 0.001), prenatal nutrition (β=0.44, OR=1.56, 95% CI=1.2, 1.9, p < 0.001), and postpartum PA (β=0.26, OR=1.30, 95% CI=1.0, 1.6, p = 0.019).

CONCLUSION

Weight stigma from close others in pregnancy and postpartum may reduce adherence to PA and nutrition recommendations, thus strategies to mitigate weight stigma are warranted.