title: Perceptions of women and health-care providers in Tokyo of appropriate weight gain during pregnancy.
abstract: A mother's underweight status and insufficient weight gain during pregnancy are risk factors for infant low birthweight. Concerns have been raised regarding whether pregnant women are provided with accurate information about weight gain. This study explored how and from whom pregnant women in Tokyo receive information related to body weight. Four focus groups were conducted with nine pregnant women, nine nurse-midwives, and eight obstetricians between March and June 2006. The recorded interviews were content-analyzed. Weight gain was a common concern among the participants, regardless of the women's body size, and sufficient weight gain was rarely mentioned. However, the health-care providers were aware of their lack of expertise and training in behavior modification. Pregnant women consistently expressed a desire for reassurance and praise from health-care providers, which might be a culture-specific phenomenon. The findings point to a need for culturally appropriate and accurate communication about weight gain during pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Midwifery and Women's Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan. mharuna-tky@umin.ac.jp
authors.forename: Megumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Haruna
authors.forename: SeoNae
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yeo
authors.forename: Etsuko
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Masayo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsuzaki
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ota
authors.forename: Kae
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakayama
authors.forename: Sachiyo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Murashima
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001828:Body Image; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D009721:Nurse Midwives; D009774:Obstetrics; D010298:Parity; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000379:methods*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014041:Tokyo; D015430:Weight Gain; D055815:Young Adult