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Perceived Pre‐Pregnancy Weight Status among Participants of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC)
Author(s) -
Koleilat Maria,
Bell Sean,
Vargas Nancy,
Molina Michael,
Whaley Shan
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.29.1_supplement.584.31
Subject(s) - underweight , overweight , medicine , pregnancy , weight gain , obesity , psychological intervention , concordance , body mass index , obstetrics , demography , body weight , psychiatry , sociology , biology , genetics
Weight misperception is associated with weight gain in non‐pregnant women, but no data exist regarding pre‐pregnancy weight status perception among low‐income pregnant women in Los Angeles County (LAC). The objective of this study was to examine weight status perception among pregnant WIC participants in LAC. This is a secondary data analysis of data collected for a prospective intervention study to reduce excessive gestational weight gain among WIC participants. Overall, women in this analytical sample (N=505) were aged 28.5±6.1 years. The sample was largely Hispanic (66%) and 64.5% of the women were either overweight or obese. Participants were asked to report their weight, height, and perceived pre‐pregnancy body weight status by questionnaire. Of the 26 women with underweight pre‐pregnancy BMI, 5 (19.2%) accurately perceived their weight. Of the 153 women with normal pre‐pregnancy BMI, 136 (88.9%) accurately perceived their weight. Of the 164 women with overweight pre‐pregnancy BMI, 54 (32.9%) accurately perceived their weight. Of the 162 women with obese pre‐pregnancy BMI, 20 (12.3%) accurately perceived their weight. Overall, concordance between perceived and actual weights was low. Only 42.4% of women accurately identified their weight status (weighted kappa = 0.3; 95% CI 0.26‐0.36). Interventions are needed to correct weight misperception among pregnant WIC participants and potentially reduce the likelihood of excessive gestational weight gain. This research is supported by UCLA Subaward No. 1920 G QA126.