ArticleBMC pregnancy and childbirth2022
Exploring weight bias internalization in pregnancy.
Article in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Weight stigma in the preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum periods: A systematic review of women's perspectives.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2025Pooled it
- Psychometric properties of the weight self-stigma questionnaire and weight bias internalization scale in postpartum women.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
- Measuring and Managing Obesity in Pregnancy Using the Edmonton Obesity Staging System: A Scoping Review.Clinical obesity · 2026Article
- Exploring the relationships among weight stigma, weight bias internalisation, feeling fat, and self-esteem across preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum.Health psychology and behavioral medicine · 2026Article
- Pregnancy and weight gain: a scoping review of women's perceptions and experiences with stigma.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- Biological and behavioral pathways from prenatal depression to offspring cardiometabolic risk: Testing the developmental origins of health and disease hypothesis.Developmental psychology · 2024Review
- Current trends and future directions in internalized weight stigma research: a scoping review and synthesis of the literature.Journal of eating disorders · 2024Article
- Presentation of a weight bias internalization tool for use in pregnancy and a call for future research: A commentary.Obesity pillars · 2024Article
- The Challenge of Weight Stigma for Women in the Preconception Period: Workshop Recommendations for Action from the 5th European Conference on Preconception Health and Care.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- General practitioners' perspectives of caring for larger-bodied preconception women: A descriptive qualitative study.Women's health (London, England)Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
18 authors at 11 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundRecent research has shown that pregnant individuals experience weight stigma throughout gestation, including negative comments and judgement associated with gestational weight gain (GWG). Weight bias internalization (WBI) is often a result of exposure to weight stigma and is detrimental to biopsychological health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to explore WBI in pregnancy and compare scores based on maternal weight-related factors including pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), obesity diagnosis and excessive GWG.
methodsPregnant individuals in Canada and USA completed a modified version of the Adult Weight Bias Internalization Scale. Self-reported pre-pregnancy height and weight were collected to calculate and classify pre-pregnancy BMI. Current weight was also reported to calculate GWG, which was then classified as excessive or not based on Institute of Medicine (2009) guidelines. Participants indicated if they were diagnosed with obesity by a healthcare provider. Inferential analyses were performed comparing WBI scores according to pre-pregnancy BMI, excessive GWG, and obesity diagnosis. Significance was accepted as p < 0.05 and effect sizes accompanied all analyses.
result336 pregnant individuals completed the survey, with an average WBI score of 3.9 ± 1.2. WBI was higher among those who had a pre-pregnancy BMI of obese than normal weight (p = 0.04, η
conclusionsPregnant individuals who have a higher BMI, obesity and gain excessively may experience WBI. Given that weight stigma frequently occurs in pregnancy, effective person-oriented strategies are needed to mitigate stigma and prevent and care for WBI.
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