Table 2.
Salient behavioral, normative, and control beliefs for meeting weight gain recommendations during pregnancy (N = 189)
| Beliefs | N | % | Participant quote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Behavioral beliefs—advantages | |||
| Health benefits for baby | 138 | 73.0 | Baby will be healthier |
| Easier to lose weight postpartum | 53 | 28.0 | It won’t be as hard to get the weight off |
| Health benefits for mother | 28 | 14.8 | Better for my overall health |
| Prevents health complications | 20 | 10.6 | Less risk of diabetes and other complications |
| Behavioral beliefs—disadvantages | |||
| Hard to lose weight postpartum | 69 | 36.5 | It may be hard to get back to pre-pregnancy weight |
| Discomfort | 52 | 27.5 | The extra weight gain in so short a time makes my body uncomfortable |
| Negative psychological impact | 34 | 18.0 | Some women get depression from weight gain |
| Unappealing physical changes | 24 | 12.7 | It may be gained in places I don’t want (ex. arms/thighs as opposed to stomach/breasts) |
| Normative beliefs | |||
| Husband or partner | 138 | 73.0 | My husband |
| Doctor | 87 | 46.0 | My doctor is really the only one I can see influencing me |
| Parents | 66 | 34.9 | My mother because she is of course concerned the baby is getting everything he needs |
| Friends | 44 | 23.3 | Close friends |
| Control beliefs—barriers to avoid excessive weight gain | 82 | 43.4 | |
| Cravings | 27 | 14.3 | I indulge in cravings too often |
| Lack of exercise | 25 | 13.2 | Difficult to maintain exercise |
| Eating unhealthy foods | 17 | 9.0 | I will probably gain more because I have a sweet tooth |
| Control beliefs—enablers to avoid excessive weight gain | 62 | 32.8 | |
| Healthy eating habits | 57 | 30.2 | Sticking to a balanced diet with adequate vitamins, protein, and minerals makes it easier |
| Regular exercise | 30 | 15.9 | Daily physical activity |
| Control beliefs—barriers to adequate weight gain | 68 | 36.0 | |
| Nausea | 43 | 22.8 | Nausea and heartburn making it difficult to eat |
| Hard to eat enough | 19 | 10.1 | Pregnancy causes you to feel full faster so it’s hard to consume a lot of calories at one time |
| Psychological barriers | 18 | 9.5 | Body image issues |
| Control beliefs—enablers to adequate weight gain | |||
| Indulging in foods | 47 | 24.9 | Not focused on dieting |
| Increased hunger | 22 | 11.6 | Sometimes an increase in appetite |
| Limiting exercise | 16 | 8.5 | I quit exercising regularly |