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Altered perceptions of personal control about retained weight and depressive symptoms in low-income postpartum women

Bobbie Sue Sterling1, Eileen R Fowles, Alexandra A Garcia

  • 1The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78701-1499, USA.

Journal of Community Health Nursing
|August 8, 2009
PubMed

Postpartum weight retention and depressive symptoms have a high prevalence among low income women. This qualitative study describes low-income women's experiences of weight changes and depressive symptoms during the late postpartum period. Women (n = 25) who were either overweight or had depressive symptoms, or both, at 12 months postpartum participated in an ethnically-congruent focus group. Women's experiences indicated altered personal control related to retained postpartum weight and depressive feelings. Retained weight negatively affected self-esteem and family functioning. Depression left women feeling isolated yet reluctant to seek help. These findings could provide the basis for health promotion interventions relevant to this population.

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