Review articles
Association of body image before or during pregnancy with gestational weight gain: A systematic review
2019 Volume 33 Issue 2 Pages 117-127
Details
2019 Volume 33 Issue 2 Pages 117-127
Purpose
Body image such as desire for thinness has been considered as a factor related to gestational weight gain. However, the association has been unclear. This systematic review aimed to clarify whether body image before pregnancy or during pregnancy was associated with gestational weight gain.
Methods
We conducted a database search (Ichushi-Web, CiNii, PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO) and hand search for relevant publications in English and Japanese using the following keywords: pregnancy, body image, and weight gain. The search included all studies from the inception of each database to March 2019. According to inclusion and exclusion criteria, researchers reviewed titles, abstracts, and full articles, and then evaluated the quality of each article and selected the articles included in this review.
Results
Seven articles were included in this review. Six articles examined the association between pre-pregnancy body image and gestational weight gain. Desire for thinness before pregnancy was related to excessive gestational weight gain in 3 out of 3 relevant articles. In addition, misperception of pre-pregnancy body size was associated with excessive gestational weight gain in 1 out of 3 relevant articles. In women with normal pre-pregnancy body mass index, overestimation of pre-pregnancy body size was associated with excessive gestational weight gain. In women with pre-pregnancy overweight or obesity, underestimation of pre-pregnancy body size was associated with excessive gestational weight gain. Feeling fat during pregnancy was significantly negatively associated with gestational weight gain in one article which examined the association.
Conclusion
This review suggests that desire for thinness and misperception of body size before pregnancy were associated with excessive gestational weight gain. For proper gestational weight control, an intervention considering body image before pregnancy may be beneficial. Further research regarding the association between body image during pregnancy and gestational weight gain is needed because of small number of studies reported to date.
