Societal constructions of weight stigma against preconception, pregnant, and postpartum women from community members' perspectives: a qualitative story completion study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Weight stigma involves prejudiced attitudes directed towards larger-bodied people. Preconception, pregnant, and postpartum (PPP) women are particularly vulnerable to weight stigma due to societal expectations and prescriptive norms around women's bodies, along with body weight changes during these periods. However, there is limited understanding of the prevailing societal discourse and constructions driving this phenomenon. Therefore, we aimed to explore community members' perspectives to identify constructions of weight stigma towards PPP women living in larger bodies.

Methods

We conducted a qualitative story completion study. Adult community members residing in Australia were invited to complete three story stems. Each story stem featured a larger-bodied preconc

SUBMITTER: Hailu H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12599159 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature