Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 3, 2025

A Primary Human Trophoblast Model to Study the Effect of Inflammation Associated with Maternal Obesity on Regulation of Autophagy in the Placenta
11:44

A Primary Human Trophoblast Model to Study the Effect of Inflammation Associated with Maternal Obesity on Regulation of Autophagy in the Placenta

Published on: September 27, 2017

11.4K

Fear of Childbirth Among Pregnant People Facing Anti-Fat Bias

Lee Roosevelt1, Sarah Maguire2, Akshay Sharma1

  • 1School of Nursing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
|January 8, 2025
PubMed

Explicit and implicit anti-fat biases are widespread among healthcare providers, leading to significant negative consequences for pregnant people, including poorer health outcomes. Fear of childbirth (FOC) can affect the length of labor, increase the risk of cesarean delivery, and negatively influence a new parent's perception of infant bonding. This study investigated the impact of perceived anti-fat bias on FOC among pregnant people. Data were gathered from 329 pregnant people recruited from three large academic prenatal centers in the United States and via social media. Participants completed a survey that included validated instruments measuring perceptions of anti-fat bias and FOC. Participants perceiving anti-fat bias reported higher FOC. Black participants perceiving anti-fat bias reported higher FOC. These findings suggest that perceived anti-fat bias from providers is associated with FOC for pregnant people, particularly those who identify as Black. Interventions to educate providers on these important concepts could help improve pregnant people's experience within the healthcare system.

Keywords:
anti-fat biasfear of childbirthpregnancy outcomes

More Related Videos

A Novel Method for Involving Women of Color at High Risk for Preterm Birth in Research Priority Setting14:43

A Novel Method for Involving Women of Color at High Risk for Preterm Birth in Research Priority Setting

Published on: January 12, 2018

11.7K
An Experimental Paradigm for the Prediction of Post-Operative Pain PPOP14:56

An Experimental Paradigm for the Prediction of Post-Operative Pain PPOP

Published on: January 27, 2010

21.3K

Related Concept Videos

Stereotype Threat and Self-fulfilling Prophecies02:09

Stereotype Threat and Self-fulfilling Prophecies

When we hold a stereotype about a person, we have expectations that he or she will fulfill that stereotype. A self-fulfilling prophecy is an expectation held by a person that alters his or her behavior in a way that tends to make it true. When we hold stereotypes about a person, we tend to treat the person according to our expectations. This treatment can influence the person to act according to our stereotypic expectations, thus confirming our stereotypic beliefs. Research by Rosenthal and...
37.4K
Regression Toward the Mean01:52

Regression Toward the Mean

Regression toward the mean (“RTM”) is a phenomenon in which extremely high or low values—for example, and individual’s blood pressure at a particular moment—appear closer to a group’s average upon remeasuring. Although this statistical peculiarity is the result of random error and chance, it has been problematic across various medical, scientific, financial and psychological applications. In particular, RTM, if not taken into account, can interfere when...
6.3K
Preparedness and Phobias01:09

Preparedness and Phobias

Human fear responses to certain stimuli, such as darkness, heights, deep water, and blood, can often arise despite the absence of direct negative experiences. This phenomenon is rooted in evolutionary psychology, which posits that humans have developed a predisposition to fear stimuli that historically posed significant survival threats. This predisposition, known as preparedness, suggests that early humans who developed a fear of potentially dangerous entities, such as venomous snakes and...
94
Anorexia Nervosa01:28

Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is a complex and severe eating disorder characterized by an intense fear of weight gain, an unrelenting pursuit of thinness, and a distorted body image. It often leads to dangerously low body weight relative to an individual's age and height. This disorder is marked by significant physical and psychological consequences, making it one of the most life-threatening psychiatric illnesses.
Symptoms and Physical Effects
Individuals with anorexia nervosa commonly exhibit extreme...
43
Obesity01:24

Obesity

The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a numerical value derived from a person's weight and height, used to categorize individuals into weight ranges. It is calculated using the formula: weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. Obesity is a health condition characterized by excessive accumulation of adipose tissue that poses health risks, often diagnosed with a BMI ≥ 30. This excess fat storage occurs when surplus dietary calories are converted into triglycerides and stored in...
372
Diabetes Mellitus: Type 2 and Gestational01:22

Diabetes Mellitus: Type 2 and Gestational

Type 2 diabetes, characterized by insulin resistance, arises when the insulin receptors on cells lose responsiveness to insulin, diminishing the cell's capacity to take up glucose, resulting in elevated blood glucose levels. To receive a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes, a series of blood glucose tests are necessary to assess whether the blood glucose falls within normal parameters. If the result is out of the normal range, a patient may be diagnosed as prediabetic or diabetic, depending on the...
2.2K