Eating behavior in a group of overweight pregnant women in two municipalities of Antioquia, Colombia: qualitative study

Objective: To describe eating behaviors in a group of overweight pregnant women.

Material and methods: Qualitative study from the focused ethnography perspective that included pregnant women over the age of 18 years, with overweight or obesity or excess weight gain during pregnancy, who attended the pre-natal care program at two public healthcare institutions belonging to the government-subsidized regime under the General Social Security System in two municipalities of the Department of Antioquia (Colombia). Thirteen individual semi-structured and three group interviews were carried out. Analysis was based on triangulation and open and axial coding.

Results: Overall, 22 pregnant women participated in the study. Five determinants of eating behavior in this population were found: low socioeconomic level that limits access to a variety of foods, social support network, health condition during previous pregnancies or during the current gestation, generic dietary and nutritional recommendations provided by healthcare staff and, finally, knowledge of the participants regarding diet and the implications of maternal overweight for the health of the mother and the child.

Conclusion: It is imperative to provide dietary and nutritional education and care based on the particular characteristics that influence the adoption of changes in eating behaviors among overweight pregnant women; prenatal care professionals must be trained to promote standardized criteria and care that is tailored to the social reality of the pregnant woman.