Maternal Obesity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Maternal Obesity - Essay Example The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports reveals that at the beginning stage of pregnancy, one in five women are obese. Hence reducing obesity during, before, and after the pregnancy should be considered as a matter of public health importance. The obesity in pregnancy has been rapidly increasing and has now become a common risk obstetric condition in many countries. The reason for the health organizations to take extra care in the issue of maternal obesity is that the consequences of it are high and associated with adverse reproductive outcomes and hypertensive disorders and also causes for gestational diabetes mellitus, cesarean delivery, and increased risk for obesity of the child. Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) As Rivis and Sheeran (2003) explain, the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was derived from the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and explains the three predicator of behavior – attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control. Attitude refers the beliefs of an individual about the outcomes of the behavior mixed with an evaluation of the significance of these outcomes. The Theory of Planned Behavior is somewhat similar to the Health Belief Model. ... The results explain that both models were able to predict an important part in the variance of dieting and fasting follow-up behavior. The direct aspect of the perceived control evaluates the extent of access that the individuals believe to have in formulating the behavior question. On the other hand, the indirect aspect of perceived control is normally obtained by assessing some definite aspects, called control beliefs, which have the capability both to make it easier and to make it difficult to achieve a behavior. The Theory of Planned Behavior analysis reports no direct connection between the intention to eat healthfully and eating behavior. Besides, age, gender, and BMI were the important factors forming the response of the people. The TPB is formulated on the idea that the stronger the intention to carry out a provided behavior, the greater the chance that a person will execute that behavior. The results from the various studies prove that TPB is helpful in predicting the factor s that are directly connected with healthy eating behavior. Many factors lead to healthy eating behaviors, and the TPB can be used as a tool to formulate intervention strategies to promote healthy eating habits among the youth, especially the women who are more faced with the risk of obesity and overweight. Other factors such as attitude, barriers, are subjective norm which have chances to influence the eating behaviors, are also added to the model of TBP. At last, the suggestion is towards the parents to take reasonable care in maintaining a healthy eating habit for their children. Social and Cultural factors affecting the maternal Obesity. The causes behind the obesity are multifaceted and consist of social, cultural, genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors. Generally, obesity