Exploring Mother-Daughter Perceptions of Weight, Shape and Physical Activity in a Refugee Camp

This study explored the perceptions of weight, shape and physical activity of Palestinian refugee adolescent girls and their mothers living in Baqa'a camp, Jordan.

A descriptive qualitative design.

A purposive sampling approach was employed to recruit 12 Palestinians (six adolescent girls and their mothers) from a Palestinian refugee camp between March 2019 and mid-January 2020.

The socioecological model framed the analysis process and revealed four main themes. At the individual level: 'The Perfect Body' explained how mothers and daughters conceptualised ideal body weight and shape and factors that influenced this perception. At the relationship level: 'it's tough love I give, it's tough love I accept' explored the tumultuous mother-daughter relationship and impact on weight, shape and physical activity. At the community level: 'The camp community is insular and the setting, spartan' highlighted how people within the community and the environment itself impacted on healthy behaviours, and at the society level: 'The influence of where you are and who you are' explored how the broader levels of society and the culture determined attitudes and perpetuated body weight and shape ideals among women.

Greater effort involves collaboration among nurses, educators, community leaders, parents, media professionals and researchers to deliver positive health messaging on weight, shape and the importance of physical activity, with further investment in resources and infrastructure to support behaviour change.

Findings assist nurses in addressing sociocultural issues regarding body image among women and girls in refugee camps and in advocating for policies and practices that reduce health disparities.

The findings provide nurses, educators and community leaders' insight in designing interventions that incorporate family dynamics and parenting styles to promote healthy body image, weight management and physical activity among adolescents and their mothers. Schools, with the support of school nurses, can implement programmes that promote open communication and positive modelling of body image, leading to healthier self-esteem and attitudes among adolescents.

We have adhered to relevant EQUATOR guidelines using the COREQ reporting framework for qualitative research.

No patient or public contribution.