Open AccessObese women's reasons for not attending a weight management service during pregnancy
Author(s) -
Olander Ellinor K.,
Atkinson Lou
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
acta obstetricia et gynecologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.401
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1600-0412
pISSN - 0001-6349
DOI - 10.1111/aogs.12195
Subject(s) - medicine , feeling , pregnancy , weight management , focus group , service (business) , weight gain , population , gestation , family medicine , obstetrics , obesity , weight loss , gynecology , nursing , body weight , environmental health , social psychology , psychology , genetics , economy , marketing , economics , business , biology
Evaluations of services targeting obese women's gestational weight gain often report low uptake. Thus it is important to elicit the reasons why obese pregnant women decline to participate in these services and to identify their barriers to participation. Sixteen obese pregnant and postnatal women were interviewed regarding their reasons for declining a group‐based service targeting their gestational weight gain. All interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically. Both pragmatic and motivational barriers were identified. The most common practical reasons for not attending the service were its inconvenient location and time, and feeling unable to attend due to work commitments. Pregnancy‐specific barriers included decreased mobility and feeling unwell. Motivational barriers included lack of interest and not wanting to focus on one's weight in pregnancy. These findings highlight issues that need to be taken into consideration when designing group‐based weight management services for this population.