Table 2.
Participants’ beliefs about pregnant women with obesity, and answers to Beliefs About Obese Persons questionnaire
| Questionnaire items Beliefs about pregnant women with obesity a |
Median | Strongly/ moderately disagree | Slightly disagree | Slightly agree | Strongly/ moderately agree |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pregnant women with obesity | |||||
| fear being judged on the basis on their weight | 5 | 3% | 2% | 36% | 59% |
| don’t always tell what they really eat | 4 | 3% | 9% | 40% | 48% |
| are often unaware of the risks with obesity in pregnancy | 4 | 9% | 18% | 29% | 45% |
| know how to eat healthy | 4 | 8% | 23% | 41% | 28% |
| would prefer not to be weighed | 4 | 12% | 19% | 36% | 34% |
| have more psychological issues than other pregnant women | 4 | 16% | 33% | 32% | 19% |
| are often in need of professional psychological support | 3 | 24% | 40% | 25% | 12% |
| BAOB b | |||||
| Obesity often occurs when eating is used as a form of compensation for lack of love or attention | −1 | 36% | 39% | 22% | 4% |
| In many cases, obesity is the result of a biological disorder | −1 | 32% | 38% | 25% | 4% |
| Obesity is usually caused by overeating | 1 | 4% | 6% | 42% | 47% |
| Most people with obesity cause their problem by not getting enough exercise | -1 | 26% | 29% | 36% | 9% |
| Most people with obesity eat more than non-obese people | 1 | 8% | 15% | 46% | 32% |
| The majority of people with obesity have poor eating habits that lead to their obesity | 2 | 4% | 5% | 39% | 52% |
| Obesity is rarely caused by a lack of willpower | 1 | 17% | 26% | 37% | 20% |
| People can be addicted to food, just as others are addicted to drugs, and these people usually become obese | 1 | 5% | 15% | 37% | 43% |
an = 259 min =1, max = 6
bn = 246 min = −3, max = 3