Imagem corporal e fatores associados à gestação: investigação transversal e longitudinal

Abstract

During pregnancy, a negative body image is of particular importance because can have serious implications for maternal and child health. General Objective: To evaluate attitudes related to body image (attractiveness, disparagement, feeling fat, salience, lower body fatness and strength and fitness) of pregnant women in the city of Juiz de Fora/MG. Methods: This study adopted multimethod research, namely: quantitative, descriptive, correlational, transversal and longitudinal. A total of 386 pregnant women who received prenatal care in the public and private sectors of the city of Juiz de Fora/Minas Gerais (MG), 18 to 46 years old (mean 29.32 ± 6.04 years old), and 17 of these took part in longitudinal study. The instruments used to evaluate were: Body Attitudes Questionnaire, Eating Attitudes Test-26, Beck Depression Inventory, Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, the short version of the Brazilian State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and sociodemographic questionnaire. In addition, anthropometric and obstetric data were collected. Results: 1) The body attitudes of pregnant women in the first trimester were similar to those in the second and third trimester. Pregnant women classified with higher BMI and high gestacional risk showed higher negative body image. Socio-demographic, economic and obstetric variables did not statistically influence the variance of body attitudes. Only BMI was significant predictor of attitudinal dimension aspects of body image in pregnant woman. 2) Inadequate eating attitudes, low self-esteem, depressive symptoms and high BMI influenced the negative body attitudes of the pregnant women. The results indicated that 20.47% and 12.17% of participants, respectively, had inadequate eating attitudes and depressive symptoms. 3) BMI, negative body attitudes and the "feeling fat" increased progressively throughout pregnancy. Eating attitudes, depressive symptoms, self-esteem and anxiety state did not differ in these three conditions. In addition, BMI was a predictor of negative body attitudes in the first trimester, while inadequate eating attitudes in the second and third trimester. Conclusion: Studies are necessary aiming the creation of evaluative tools of body image of Brazilian pregnant women. This would make possible a greater understanding of the particular concerns related to the body at this stage of a woman's life, which may reflect the well-being and health of the mother and baby.