Determination of distress, emotional eating and internalized weight bias levels of Turkish pregnant women.

This study was conducted to determine the stress, emotional eating and weight bias levels of Turkish pregnant women. The study sample was composed of 210 pregnant women, who met the research inclusion criteria and admitted to the obstetrics and gynaecology outpatient clinics of Bingol Hospital for Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Research data were collected between December 2018 and June 2019, using face-to-face interview technique. Personal Information Form, Tilburg Pregnancy Distress Scale (TPDS), Internalised Weight Bias Scale (IWBS), and Emotional Eating sub-scale items of the Netherlands Eating Behaviour Questionnaire used to collect data. In our study, 47.9% of pregnant women were found to be overweight or obese according to the pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) average. Pregnant women experience a moderate level of stress, emotional eating and weight bias. It was found that there was a statistically significant relationship between the weight bias score averages and the emotional eating and stress score averages of the pregnant women (p < .05). In our study, stress, emotional eating and weight bias score averages of pregnant women in the 3rd trimester were found to be higher than that of the pregnant women in the 2nd trimester (p < .05). It has been determined that nearly 1in 2 pregnant women was overweight or obese, when BMI level of the women increased, weight stigma and emotional eating of them also increased.IMPACT STATEMENTWhat is already known on this subject? To be overweight or obese pre-pregnancy is risk for pregnancy complications and adverse birth outcomes.What do the results of this study add? It is important to inform nurses about the relationship between stress, weight bias, eating disorders, and obesity; moreover, care should be providing with the awareness that pregnant women with obesity are at greater risk in terms of these factors. It is of great importance to provide the necessary training and counselling by nurses to ensure the psychological adaptation of pregnant women to childbirth and the postpartum period. Besides, any disadvantage or disparity between overweight and obese pregnant women in the care process should be eliminated, and all pregnant women, regardless of their body size, should have equal access to supportive prenatal and postnatal care.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? It is of great importance to providing training and consultation by nurses on coping with stress and stigma and eating during pregnancy in order to ensure psychological adjustment of the pregnant women to childbirth and the postpartum period, which are at risk in terms of stress, emotional eating and weight bias factors.

Psychosocial factors and health practices in pregnancy: A cross-sectional study.

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate psychosocial, demographic and obstetric factors that affect health practices in pregnancy. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted with pregnant women selected by using random sampling in a public hospital in Turkey. The pregnant women (n = 383) completed the Health Practices Questionnaire in Pregnancy, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, the Beck Anxiety Inventory and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Multiple linear regression was used to examine predictors of participation in health practices. The variables were subjected to multiple linear regression analysis to estimate the effect of each independent variable (depression, anxiety, perceived social support, age, educational level, gestational week and parity) on the dependent variable (health practices). RESULTS: Depression and anxiety were not significantly related to gestational health practices. The multiple linear regression model showed that inadequate social support, low education level, early gestational week and high parity were significant predictors of nonengagement in favourable health practices during pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnant women with inadequate social support and specific demographic and obstetric characteristics are less likely to participate in gestational health practices. This study suggests that more attention should be paid to these groups to improve the health practices of pregnant women.

Effect of yoga on posttraumatic growth and quality of life in first-time mothers: A randomized controlled trial.

AIM: This study aims to examine the effect of yoga on posttraumatic growth and quality of life in postpartum mothers. METHODS: The study was conducted as randomized controlled. There were 160 participant mothers, including 80 for the yoga group and 80 for the control group. Mothers in the yoga group participated in individual yoga practices at their homes every weekday for 10 weeks. The personal information form, posttraumatic growth inventory (PTGI), and short form-36 (SF-36) Quality of Life Scale were used to collect data. RESULTS: The results showed that total and subscale mean scores of the PTGI were higher in the yoga group than the control group after the intervention. In comparison to the control group, the mean scores of the yoga group were higher in subscales as physical functioning, role-physical, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, mental health of the SF-36, after the intervention. CONCLUSION: The yoga increased psychological growth and quality of life in the postpartum period. Health professionals could use yoga to increase the quality of life of mothers and to ensure their psychological growth in health care.

The effects of acupressure and yoga for coping with premenstrual syndromes on premenstrual symptoms and quality of life.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to identify the effects of acupressure and yoga for coping with premenstrual syndromes (PMS) on the premenstrual symptoms and quality of life. METHODS: This study adopted a randomized intervention design with a pretest-posttest control group. The sample consisted of 155 students with PMS complaints (50 in yoga, 51 in acupressure, and 54 in control group). The students in the intervention groups did yoga and received acupressure throughout 12 weeks. RESULTS: It was found that the Premenstrual Syndrome Scale posttest mean score of the students was lower, and the physical health, psychological health, and environment sub-scale mean scores of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire were higher in the yoga group in comparison to the other groups (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Yoga was found to be a more effective non-pharmacological method for coping with premenstrual symptoms.