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Call for papers - Weight stigma in pregnancy and postpartum

Guest Editors:
Sara Holton, PhD: School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
Linda Sweet, PhD: School of Nursing and Midwifery, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia
 

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth called for submissions to our Collection on Weight stigma in pregnancy and postpartum.

Weight stigma is discrimination based on bias against individuals who are seen as being above or below an ‘ideal’ weight. In healthcare settings, weight stigma can lead to delayed care, misdiagnosis, and poor patient-provider relationships.  In pregnancy care, concerns with adequate vs. excessive weight gain can further exacerbate negative experiences of pregnant individuals who have previously experienced weight stigma or are experiencing excessive or inadequate weight gain, while pressure to “lose the baby weight” soon after birth can exacerbate the difficulties of the postpartum period.  Women’s exposure to weight stigma during and after pregnancy can affect their mental health, their attitudes toward food and physical activity, and their healthcare seeking behaviors.  This can lead to poorer maternal and neonatal outcomes including excessive or inadequate gestational weight gain, preterm birth, neonatal morbidity, and perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.


New Content ItemThis collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health & Well-Being, and SDG 5: Gender Equality.

Meet the Guest Editors

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Sara Holton, PhD: School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Victoria, Australia

Dr. Sara Holton is a mid‐career researcher and social scientist who conducts psychosocial research in three main, often intersecting, areas: women’s health, mental health and wellbeing, and health services research. Dr Holton has a particular research interest in women’s reproductive health including women’s psychosocial wellbeing and weight management during their childbearing years.


Linda Sweet, PhD: School of Nursing and Midwifery, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia

Professor Sweet is a nurse and midwife and the inaugural Chair of Midwifery at the Deakin University and Western Health Partnership, Melbourne, Australia. She is particularly interested in breastfeeding and lactation research, obesity and its impact on pregnant women, midwifery practice, and enhancing maternal health. She has researched vulnerable groups about care coordination, empowerment, and breastfeeding support, and has a program of research around supporting breastfeeding in vulnerable groups and around the care of pregnant women with obesity.

About the Collection

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth called for submissions to our Collection on Weight stigma in pregnancy and postpartum.

Weight stigma is discrimination based on bias against individuals who are seen as being above or below an ‘ideal’ weight. In healthcare settings, weight stigma can lead to delayed care, misdiagnosis, and poor patient-provider relationships.  In pregnancy care, concerns with adequate vs. excessive weight gain can further exacerbate negative experiences of pregnant individuals who have previously experienced weight stigma or are experiencing excessive or inadequate weight gain, while pressure to “lose the baby weight” soon after birth can exacerbate the difficulties of the postpartum period.  Women’s exposure to weight stigma during and after pregnancy can affect their mental health, their attitudes toward food and physical activity, and their healthcare seeking behaviors.  This can lead to poorer maternal and neonatal outcomes including excessive or inadequate gestational weight gain, preterm birth, neonatal morbidity, and perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth launched a new Collection, ‘Weight stigma in pregnancy and postpartum,’ to bring together research about the effects of weight stigma and weight bias on currently and recently pregnant individuals, as well as effective strategies to prevent and mitigate it.  Topics of interest included, but were not limited to, gestational weight gain, obesity, postpartum weight loss, mental health, healthcare provider bias, missed or delayed diagnoses, pregnancy outcomes, and the role of healthcare providers in perpetuating or mitigating weight stigma during and after pregnancy.  The Collection welcomed quantitative and qualitative research from around the globe addressing weight stigma in pregnancy and postpartum.

This Collection aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3: Good Health & Well-Being, and SDG 5: Gender Equality. Weight stigma in pregnancy and postpartum is a public health issue that requires a person-centered gender-sensitive approach to ensure that all women have equitable access to quality healthcare services and support during pregnancy and beyond.

Image credit: Andrey Popov / Stock.adobe.com

  2. Weight stigma is a commonly reported experience in maternity care that negatively impacts the health of mothers and their babies. Knowledge to inform weight stigma reduction efforts in antenatal care is urgent...

    Authors: Briony Hill, Haimanot Hailu, Bec Jenkinson, Siarn Rakic, Taniya S. Nagpal, Jacqueline A. Boyle, Penelope Sheehan, Sarah Darlison and Helen Skouteris
    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2025 25:263
    Content type: Research Published on:

  3. Overweight and obesity in pregnancy are associated with health risks for women and babies. Providing effective weight management during pregnancy is necessary to support appropriate gestational weight gain and...

    Authors: Vidanka Vasilevski, Alemayehu Mekonnen, Anna Peeters, Anna Chapman, Shaan Naughton, Eva Yuen, Jaithri Ananthapavan, Elizabeth Holmes-Truscott, Jane Willcox, Kristen Graham and Linda Sweet
    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2025 25:252
    Content type: Research Published on:

  5. In 2021, 15% of pregnant women in Denmark had a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 kg/m2 or more, which is associated with complications for both mothers and children. Healthcare professionals often feel insecure when d...

    Authors: Sofie Gyrup, Anne-Sofie Kortegaard, Sissel Due Jensen, Pernille Andreassen and Dorte Hvidtjørn
    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2024 24:767
    Content type: Research Published on:

  6. Qualitative studies document episodes of weight-related disrespectful care, particularly for people with high body mass index (BMI ≥ 30) and reveal implicit and explicit biases in health care providers. No lar...

    Authors: Nisha Malhotra, Cecilia M. Jevitt, Kathrin Stoll, Wanda Phillips-Beck and Saraswathi Vedam
    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2024 24:737
    Content type: Research Published on:

  8. Satisfaction with birth and healthcare provider experiences have long-term effects for maternal health. Research has shown that mothers who report more trust, respect, and self-efficacy in their relationship w...

    Authors: Kristin Fields Creech, Samantha Addante, Elizabeth Hinckley, Lucia Ciciolla and Karina M. Shreffler
    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2024 24:656
    Content type: Research Published on:

  9. Pregnant women with obesity face heightened focus on weight during pregnancy due to greater risk of medical complications. Closer follow-up in maternety care may contribute to reduce risk and promote health in...

    Authors: Heidi L. Sandsaeter, Trine Tetlie Eik-Nes, Linn Okkenhaug Getz, Elisabeth Balstad Magnussen, Janet W. Rich-Edwards and Julie Horn
    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2024 24:552
    Content type: Research Published on:

  10. Occurrences of weight stigma have been documented in prenatal clinical settings from the perspective of pregnant patients, however little is known from the viewpoint of healthcare providers themselves. Reporte...

    Authors: Taniya S. Nagpal, Kirina Angrish, Emily Bonisteel, Rebecca M. Puhl, Zachary M. Ferraro, Niyati M. Malkani, Caroline LeJour and Kristi B. Adamo
    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2024 24:404
    Content type: Research Published on:

  11. Individuals with an increased body mass index (BMI) (≥ 30 kg/m2) experience higher rates of perinatal mental health disorders than individuals with BMI < 30. Personal experience of decreased control over labor ha...

    Authors: Anna R. Whelan, Brock E. Polnaszek, Olivia Recabo, Melissa A. Clark, Adam K. Lewkowitz and Nina K. Ayala
    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2023 23:752
    Content type: Research Published on:

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Weight stigma in pregnancy and postpartum" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.