People with larger bodies commonly face a pervasive, resilient form of social stigma, often facing discrimination in the workplace as well as in educational and healthcare settings. Weight stigma is particularly prevalent across the various stages of pregnancy – from preconception, pregnancy, to the postpartum (PPP) periods – because of societal norms and expectations about weight and weight gain during the reproductive period. This form of sizeism is dangerous, because this discrimination of pregnant women and new mums can lead to negative physical and psychological health outcomes for mother and potentially their child.
Now Monash University researchers have developed a model called SWIPE (Stigma of Weight In the PPP Experience) that provides a blueprint for eliminating weight stigma for PPP women. The study, led by Dr Briony Hill and PhD Candidate Ms Haimanot Hailu, from Monash’s School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, was published in the journal, Health Psychology Review. “Preconception, pregnant and postpartum women experience weight stigma in almost all social domains including fertility treatment, antenatal and postpartum healthcare, employment, education, media, the general public, from other mothers (i.
e., their peers), and in romantic relationships,” said Dr Hill. “And the consequences are significant with weight stigma towards women of reproductive age associated with psychological stress, avoidance of healthcare, reduced motivation to engage .
