Navigating weight stigma: An integrative review of midwives' knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about caring for larger-bodied women

IF 2.6 3区医学 Q1 NURSING

Midwifery Pub Date : 2025-05-07 DOI:10.1016/j.midw.2025.104444

Anna J Robins , Bec Jenkinson , Lauren Kearney

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Problem

Women are vulnerable to weight bias during their reproductive years. However, little is known about midwives’ knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about caring for larger bodied women.

Background

Women have reported experiencing weight stigma during interactions with healthcare providers, including midwives. Weight stigma is associated with reduced quality of health and primary healthcare avoidance. In Australia over half of pregnant women are of a higher weight during their reproductive years.

Aim

To describe what is currently known about midwives' knowledge, attitudes and beliefs relating to caring for larger bodied women across the peripartum period.

Methods

An integrative review was undertaken, involving a systematic literature search, quality appraisal, and synthesis of findings within the socioecological framework.

Findings

Sixteen articles were included. Across the socioecological levels: individual level themes related to midwives’ attitudes and beliefs and midwives’ own body size; interpersonal themes related to communication and relationships; community themes related to the influence of cultural norms; organisation/institutional level themes related to BMI and weight checks, the need for training and education, and the role of healthcare practices and guidelines emerged; finally, at the policy level, system level factors and a weight inclusive approach were identified.

Discussion

This review highlighted that some midwives and student midwives hold negative, stigmatising views towards larger bodied women. Midwives are impacted by their own attitudes and beliefs as well as interpersonal, societal, organisational and system level factors.

Conclusion

Efforts to reduce weight stigma require a multi-level socio-ecological approach, including educational strategies aimed at shifting current and future midwives’ stigmatising attitudes and beliefs towards larger bodied women.

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导航体重耻辱：助产士的知识，态度和信念的综合审查，关于照顾较大的身体妇女

女性在生育年龄容易受到体重偏见的影响。然而，人们对助产士在照顾体型较大的女性方面的知识、态度和信念知之甚少。据报道，在与包括助产士在内的医疗服务提供者的互动中，女性会经历体重耻辱感。体重耻辱感与健康质量下降和初级保健逃避有关。在澳大利亚，超过一半的孕妇在生育年龄期间体重增加。目的描述目前已知的助产士在围产期照顾体型较大的妇女方面的知识、态度和信念。方法进行了一项综合综述，包括系统的文献检索、质量评估和社会生态学框架下的研究结果综合。研究结果共纳入16篇文章。在社会生态层面：个人层面的主题与助产士的态度和信仰以及助产士自己的体型有关；与沟通和关系相关的人际主题；与文化规范影响有关的社区主题；出现了与BMI和体重检查、培训和教育的必要性以及保健实践和指南的作用相关的组织/机构级主题；最后，在政策层面，确定了制度层面的因素和权重包容方法。这篇综述强调了一些助产士和学生助产士对体型较大的女性持有负面的、污名化的观点。助产士受到自己的态度和信仰以及人际关系、社会、组织和系统层面因素的影响。结论：减轻体重耻辱感需要多层次的社会生态学方法，包括旨在改变当前和未来助产士对肥胖妇女的耻辱感态度和信念的教育策略。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Midwifery 医学-护理

CiteScore

4.50

自引率

7.40%

发文量

221

审稿时长

13.4 weeks

期刊介绍： Midwifery publishes the latest peer reviewed international research to inform the safety, quality, outcomes and experiences of pregnancy, birth and maternity care for childbearing women, their babies and families. The journal’s publications support midwives and maternity care providers to explore and develop their knowledge, skills and attitudes informed by best available evidence. Midwifery provides an international, interdisciplinary forum for the publication, dissemination and discussion of advances in evidence, controversies and current research, and promotes continuing education through publication of systematic and other scholarly reviews and updates. Midwifery articles cover the cultural, clinical, psycho-social, sociological, epidemiological, education, managerial, workforce, organizational and technological areas of practice in preconception, maternal and infant care. The journal welcomes the highest quality scholarly research that employs rigorous methodology. Midwifery is a leading international journal in midwifery and maternal health with a current impact factor of 1.861 (© Thomson Reuters Journal Citation Reports 2016) and employs a double-blind peer review process.