Exploring Beliefs, Concerns, Prenatal Care Advice, and Sources of Information About Gestational Weight Gain Among Immigrant Central American Pregnant Women in the United States

Moreno, Virginia A.; Lucero, Doris; Rodriguez-Cruz, Nachalie; Le, Qun; Greaney, Mary L.; Lindsay, Ana Cristina

doi:10.3390/ijerph21121672

Open AccessArticle

Exploring Beliefs, Concerns, Prenatal Care Advice, and Sources of Information About Gestational Weight Gain Among Immigrant Central American Pregnant Women in the United States

by

Virginia A. Moreno

¹,

Doris Lucero

²,

Nachalie Rodriguez-Cruz

¹,

Qun Le

³,

Mary L. Greaney

⁴

and

Ana Cristina Lindsay

^5,*

¹

Department of Exercise and Health Sciences, Robert J and Donna Manning College of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA 02125, USA

²

Department of Biology, College of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA 02125, USA

³

Department of Public Health, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, MA 01854, USA

⁴

Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA

⁵

Department of Urban Public Health, Robert J and Donna Manning College of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA 02125, USA

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(12), 1672; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21121672

Submission received: 9 October 2024 / Revised: 9 December 2024 / Accepted: 11 December 2024 / Published: 14 December 2024

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sexual, Reproductive and Maternal Health)

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Abstract

Gestational weight gain (GWG) is critical for maternal and neonatal health, but excessive GWG can lead to complications such as gestational diabetes, hypertension, and increased obesity risk later in life. Minoritized and immigrant women often face higher risks of excessive GWG. This cross-sectional study assessed Central American women’s beliefs and concerns about GWG, the receipt of advice from healthcare providers, and sources of information for healthy weight management during pregnancy. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 93 pregnant women from El Salvador (31.2%), Guatemala (46.2%), and Honduras (22.6%). Most participants were married (91.4%), and 91.2% had household incomes below $40,000. Self-reported pre-pregnancy weight status varied significantly (p = 0.03), with more Guatemalans self-reporting as overweight (34.9%) compared to Salvadorans (10.3%) and Hondurans (19.1%). Beliefs about GWG varied significantly; 72.1% of Guatemalan women accepted “eating for two”, while only 31.0% of Salvadorans did (p = 0.002). More Honduran women (90.5%) received weight gain recommendations from healthcare providers than Salvadorans (62.1%) and Guatemalans (60.5%) (p = 0.04). The Internet and family were common information sources on weight management, highlighting the need for culturally tailored health education. This study underscores critical differences in beliefs and access to prenatal care among pregnant Central American immigrant women, emphasizing the importance of culturally competent health education to support healthy pregnancy outcomes.

Keywords: pregnancy; gestational weight gain; beliefs; information; Central American; United States

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MDPI and ACS Style

Moreno, V.A.; Lucero, D.; Rodriguez-Cruz, N.; Le, Q.; Greaney, M.L.; Lindsay, A.C. Exploring Beliefs, Concerns, Prenatal Care Advice, and Sources of Information About Gestational Weight Gain Among Immigrant Central American Pregnant Women in the United States. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21, 1672. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21121672

AMA Style

Moreno VA, Lucero D, Rodriguez-Cruz N, Le Q, Greaney ML, Lindsay AC. Exploring Beliefs, Concerns, Prenatal Care Advice, and Sources of Information About Gestational Weight Gain Among Immigrant Central American Pregnant Women in the United States. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2024; 21(12):1672. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21121672

Chicago/Turabian Style

Moreno, Virginia A., Doris Lucero, Nachalie Rodriguez-Cruz, Qun Le, Mary L. Greaney, and Ana Cristina Lindsay. 2024. "Exploring Beliefs, Concerns, Prenatal Care Advice, and Sources of Information About Gestational Weight Gain Among Immigrant Central American Pregnant Women in the United States" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 21, no. 12: 1672. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21121672

APA Style

Moreno, V. A., Lucero, D., Rodriguez-Cruz, N., Le, Q., Greaney, M. L., & Lindsay, A. C. (2024). Exploring Beliefs, Concerns, Prenatal Care Advice, and Sources of Information About Gestational Weight Gain Among Immigrant Central American Pregnant Women in the United States. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(12), 1672. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21121672

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

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Exploring Beliefs, Concerns, Prenatal Care Advice, and Sources of Information About Gestational Weight Gain Among Immigrant Central American Pregnant Women in the United States

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