Article type
Abstract
"Background: The rising incidence of maternal obesity is a serious global health problem. Qualitative studies exploring the viewpoints of pregnant women living with obesity have shown that some women report negative experiences associated with pregnancy, including current care management practices being perceived as confronting, judgmental, and generally unhelpful. Synthesizing qualitative findings about the experiences of pregnant and postpartum women who live with obesity can provide important insights for decision making into the general needs of this population and close current gaps in health care practice.
Objective: In this review we aim to investigate and gain an understanding of women's experiences of living with obesity during the perinatal period; supporting evidence-informed approaches to care.
Inclusion criteria: All settings in which women (≥18-year-old) who live with obesity (Body Mass Index ≥30Kg/m2) during their pregnancies and receive health care for pregnancy, birthing, and postpartum care (i.e., 6 months after giving birth) were considered. Studies published from 1995 onward were included. We considered all studies presenting qualitative data including, but not limited to, designs such as phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, action research, and feminist research.
Methods: The following databases were searched for this review: CINAHL (EBSCO), Embase (Elsevier), PsycINFO (EBSCO), MEDLINE (Ovid), and Sociological Abstracts (ProQuest). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses was searched for unpublished studies. Study selection, quality appraisal, and data extraction were performed by two independent reviewers and disagreements resolved through discussion. The JBI resources for meta-aggregation were used to create categories and synthesized findings.
Results: Twenty-two studies involving 322 participants were included. A total of 107 findings were extracted and grouped into 14 categories. We identified four main findings: changing and challenging relationships with food, navigating bodies and minds, institutionalizing women, and the impact of others.
Conclusion: Decision making often relies on values and beliefs. Awareness of women’s experiences and inclusion of their voices will enable health care providers to proactively include every person in their respective care experiences.
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Objective: In this review we aim to investigate and gain an understanding of women's experiences of living with obesity during the perinatal period; supporting evidence-informed approaches to care.
Inclusion criteria: All settings in which women (≥18-year-old) who live with obesity (Body Mass Index ≥30Kg/m2) during their pregnancies and receive health care for pregnancy, birthing, and postpartum care (i.e., 6 months after giving birth) were considered. Studies published from 1995 onward were included. We considered all studies presenting qualitative data including, but not limited to, designs such as phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, action research, and feminist research.
Methods: The following databases were searched for this review: CINAHL (EBSCO), Embase (Elsevier), PsycINFO (EBSCO), MEDLINE (Ovid), and Sociological Abstracts (ProQuest). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses was searched for unpublished studies. Study selection, quality appraisal, and data extraction were performed by two independent reviewers and disagreements resolved through discussion. The JBI resources for meta-aggregation were used to create categories and synthesized findings.
Results: Twenty-two studies involving 322 participants were included. A total of 107 findings were extracted and grouped into 14 categories. We identified four main findings: changing and challenging relationships with food, navigating bodies and minds, institutionalizing women, and the impact of others.
Conclusion: Decision making often relies on values and beliefs. Awareness of women’s experiences and inclusion of their voices will enable health care providers to proactively include every person in their respective care experiences.
"