Article Analysis Essay on Obesity Management Strategies

Introduction

Article: Shamed into health? Fat pregnant women's views on obesity management strategies in maternity care

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Author: George Parker.

This article reports the views of pregnant women on being on the receiving ends of the obesity management strategies aimed at controlling the issue of obesity during the maternity care periods. The article tries to find out if the approach methods fulfill the objectives of attaining improved public health. Research has indicated that pregnant women gain a lot of weight, putting their lives and that of their babies into great danger. Studies have indicated the rise in the number of obese women during their productive years. This has been followed by complications during both pregnancy and birth. Advanced scientific studies have traced the source of this problem of obesity back to the womb. This is where the fate of the children is determined as maternal weight and diet play a critical role in programming the infants' future health. Maternal obesity has been the center of discussion in many states being blamed for the anxieties created by the population health issues and the increased cost of health care in the current society.

Health agencies have tried to intervene in controlling the epidemic. A suite of regulations and guidelines are introduced including the body mass index (BMI) cut-offs which deny fat pregnant women some offers and opportunities. All this is done to ensure the largest number possible, of pregnant women, manage their weight. The system at times even denies them further counseling when they encounter new priority areas exposing them to contemporary anxieties. They are given the task to deal with the health of their children in the future, while they already have their own health issues to deal with. Fat pregnant women require attention to be given an opportunity to raise their voice as they address their issues. This paper is a review of the article Shamed into health? Fat pregnant women's views on obesity management strategies in maternity care by George Parker

Societal View on "Fat Female Body"

According to the author, the dominant discourse in society today for being fat is that it is a health condition that requires urgent intervention. The fitness issue has been stigmatized by the society in schools, hospitals and even at places of work. This stigmatization on its own is a health risk as it at times disengages fat people from health care services. In some incidences, fat people have been denied the opportunity to participate in recreational activities. Fat women have expressed their experience with the increased medical concern on the health of the obese. They experience negative interactions with the health professionals and caregivers including the derogative comments as a result of their large body weights. In fear of humiliation, some women skip health care services putting them even into a bigger danger. Obese pregnant women tend to be labeled as being into health risks as it is stereotyped that they cannot bear a child normally. The issue of exclusion from normal health services is therefore common during maternal care. According to the data collected by the author where 27 women of diverse races were interviewed, three themes were developed (Parker, 2017). The themes explain the experience fat women encounter in the course of contemporary maternal care and discourse in obesity management.

Weight Matters

The participants pointed out how their fat bodies were viewed as a health problem when searching for maternal care services. Many women expressed their history of struggling with poor body image and the experiences of being bullied and fat-shamed in public facilities. Through the pregnancies and maternal care, they still experience stigma with their body weight being the center of interest. The choices of the fat women get limited when they get reminded time to time that their body weight s might affect both their health and that of their children. The antenatal caregivers end up assuming that the obese women are lazy, greedy and unhealthy, just because they are obese. These experience leave obese women frustrated about the perceived judgments of their body weights. Sometimes the obese women feel unsupported and neglected to make them feel guilty which sometimes leads to low self-esteem.

Swept Away

Participating in the weight focused care services resulted in increased medical interventions which left the participants feeling swept away. This includes a feeling of the medical attention being intensified due to their general obese bodies other that accurate assessment of individual risk. The pregnant women experience anxiety when the birth process is complicated and handed over to the tertiary specialists, who discourage any effort to give birth in a primary setting. The feeling of anxiety might end up giving pregnant women bigger health complications. Sometimes weight focused interventions end up being ineffective.

Sticks and Stones

From the article, the study revealed discrimination during the maternal care services between fat women and slender women. Fat phobic encounters are common during the birthing process seen as expressions of fear or dislike of fat women. Through conducted interviews, it is clear that fat women receive less help and lower standard services. Elements of discrimination in terms of body size is evident amongst the health care professionals seen through negative commentaries. From the experiences given by the interview participants, the fat phobic experience is traumatic and it results in mental torture. According to Parker (2017), the social stigmatization of fat women has resulted in extremely poor health outcomes.

There is a need to treat all pregnant women equally, whether slender or fat. Both categories should be given equal opportunities and services. Appropriate implementation methods should be embraced in providing obesity management interventions, which does not leave any group of people feeling stigmatized. The interventions have been conducted in perspective that criticizes excess weight in unhealthy, without considering the impact the weight-related advice has on those women. Fat women require care and support as they continue with their struggle of weight management.

References

Parker, G. (2017). Shamed into health? Fat pregnant women's views on obesity management strategies in maternity care. Women's Studies Journal, 31(1). Retrieved from <http://www.wsanz.org.nz/journal/docs/WSJNZ311Parker22-33.pdf >