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Lost in translation? English- and Spanish-speaking women’s perceptions of gestational weight gain safety, health risks and counseling

Journal of Perinatology volume 35, pages 585–589 (2015)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Objective:

To determine English- and Spanish-speaking women’s perceptions on gestational weight gain (GWG) counseling.

Study design:

We administered a written survey to 279 pregnant women regarding GWG counseling and knowledge. We compared English- and Spanish-speaking women’s responses using X2-tests and logistic regression analyses.

Result:

Seventy-four (27%) women completed the survey in Spanish and 205 (73%) in English. More Spanish compared with English speakers did not know if their provider recommended weight gain goals (26% vs 10%, odds ratio (OR) 3.2, confidence interval (CI) 1.5 to 6.5); if there are risks to excessive GWG for mother (27% vs 11%, OR 3.1, CI 1.5 to 6.4) or infant (38% vs 16%, OR 3.3, CI 1.7 to 6.3); or if exercise (15% vs 1%, OR 12.1, CI 3.0 to 69.1) or weight loss (35% v 12%, OR 4.0, CI 2.0 to 8.0) were safe during pregnancy.

Conclusion:

Significant differences exist between Spanish- and English-speaking women’s perception of GWG counseling, which may be due to language or cultural barriers.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Kimberly Kilfoyle for her assistance with this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    M C Smid, K F Dorman & K A Boggess

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  1. M C Smid
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  2. K F Dorman
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  3. K A Boggess
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Correspondence to M C Smid.

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Smid, M., Dorman, K. & Boggess, K. Lost in translation? English- and Spanish-speaking women’s perceptions of gestational weight gain safety, health risks and counseling. J Perinatol 35, 585–589 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2015.24

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