Misperception Of Body Weight And Its Associated Factors In Reproductive Women Intending To Become Pregnant Based On Health Belief Model

Objective:The purpose of this study was to investigate the status of women’s awareness of their own body weight in Nepal and to analyse the factors affecting their weight cognition-based health belief model.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted among 423 reproductive age women(aged 18 to 38 years)attending reproductive health clinics in Bhaktapur hospital,Nepal.Data collection was done in between September 2017 to November 2017 by a nonprobability purposive sampling technique.A self-administered structured questionnaire was designed to collect data on socio demographic-data,self-perceived weight status and pregnancy intention.We used obesity risk knowledge(ORK 10)scale to measure obesity-related health risk knowledge.International physical activity questionnaire(IPAQ)was used to assess participant’s recent levels of physical activity.Perceived social support was assessed by the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support(MSPSS).Self-efficacy of participants was measured by General Self-Efficacy Scale(GSSS).And HBM tool was self-construct to measure the weight-related knowledge and behaviors.Continuous variables were presented as means and standard deviations and were compared using t-tests and ANOVA,while categorical variables were presented as frequencies and percentages and were compared using Chi-square test.Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the predictors of misperception and its association with weight-related behaviors.The confidence interval was 95% and the level of significance was p value<0.05.Results:1.The study included 423 respondents out of which 27.9% were intending to be pregnant and 72.1% were not intending to be pregnant.The misperception rate of the total respondents was 49.4% among which 27.7% underestimate and 21.7% overestimate their weight status.2.Among women intending to become pregnant,47.5% accurately perceived their body weight and 52.5% misperceived their body weight in which 26.3% underestimate and 28.3% overestimate their weight.3.The average score of obesity risk knowledge(ORK)was 4.93±2.16(Mean±SD)and was statistically significance with annual household income(p=0.049)and in pregnancy intention(p=0.013).4.The average score of perceived social support(PSSS)was 64.67±12.28(Mean±SD)and only ethnicity(p=0.015)was significantly different.5.The average score of self-efficacy scale was 64.67±5.24(Mean±SD)and annual household(p=0.000)and weight perception(p= 0.018)were significantly different.6.The average score of physical activity was 1.83±0.73(Mean±SD)and residency(p=0.030)and marital status(p=0.039)were significantly different.7.The result revealed that obesity risk knowledge had a significant positive relationship with cues of action(r=0.100,p=0.039)and with self-efficacy(r=0.129,p=0.008)whereas ORK was a significant negative relationship with physical activity(r=-0.127,p=0.009)and with the perceived benefit(p=0.019).8.Weight misperception was significantly associated with income level,BMI(p=0.000)and self-efficacy(p=0.044).Conclusion:The misperception of body weight was found high among reproductive-age women and more common in pregnancy intendent group.Since the greatness of the problem of misperception among reproductive-age women in Nepal,health promotion programme should organize on the accurate perception of body weight and weight management activities.Women intending to become pregnant have low obesity risk knowledge and low level of physical activity than those not intending to become pregnant.while there is a need for counselling about the risk of obesity and the importance of physical activity to all reproductive women.And further investigations are needed to understand the different aspects of the high rate of misperception in reproductive women of Nepal.