Pregnant Women’s Knowledge and Beliefs Regarding the Effect of Obesity on the Continuation of Breast Feeding

Abstract

Background and Aims: Assessing the knowledge and beliefs of pregnant women regarding the effect of obesity on breastfeeding continuation is crucial in understanding potential barriers to successful breastfeeding amongst this demographic. This study aims to evaluate pregnant women’s knowledge and beliefs about the effect of obesity on breastfeeding continuation. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was adopted. The sample of 550 pregnant women was purposively selected whether primiparous or multi-pregnant, aged 20-39 years in the second or third trimester of pregnancy. The study was carried out within second-cluster hospitals in the Riyadh region. The tools used to collect the necessary data were; a structured interviewing questionnaire, a structured obesity knowledge tool, and a Likert belief scale regarding the effect of obesity on breastfeeding continuation. Results: The mean age was 29.47 ± 8.6 years. About 57.8% of the study sample had an unsatisfactory level of knowledge about the effect of obesity on breastfeeding continuation compared to 42.2% who had a satisfactory level of knowledge. While 87.6% of the study sample had positive beliefs regarding the effect of obesity on breastfeeding continuation, 12.4% had negative beliefs. Amongst the study sample, no statistically significant relationship was found between the belief and knowledge categories regarding the effect of obesity on breastfeeding continuation (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The pregnant women had an unsatisfactory level of knowledge and positive beliefs regarding the effect of obesity on breastfeeding continuation. It was Recommended to deliver individualized education for obese pregnant women to cope with difficulties and misunderstandings regarding breastfeeding. Integrate obesity-specific breastfeeding interventions into public health, media and electronic communication, and hospital policies and practices.

References

1. 1.Fox A,FengW,AsalV.What is driving global obesity trends? Globalization or “modernization”? Global Health. 2019;15(1):32.
2. 2.Okati-Aliabad H, Ansari-Moghaddam A, Kargar S, Jabbari N. Prevalence of Obesity and Overweight among Adults in the Middle East Countries from 2000 to 2020: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Obes. 2022;2022:8074837. Published 2022 Feb 3. doi:10.1155/2022/8074837. doi:10.1155/2022/8074837
3. 3.AlthumiriNA,BasyouniMH,AlMousa N, et al. Obesity in Saudi Arabia in 56 Majmaah Journal of Health Sciences,Vol.13, Issue4, October-2025,Rabi-Al-thani-1447 PregnantWomen’s Knowledge and BeliefsRegardingtheEffectofObesityontheContinuationofBreastFeeding 2020: Prevalence, Distribution, and Its Current Association with Various Health Conditions. Healthcare (Basel). 2021;9(3):311.
4. 4.World Health Organization. (2020). Obesityandoverweight.Retrievedfrom https://www.who.int/news-room/factsheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight
5. 5.Tschiderer L, Seekircher L, Kunutsor SK, Peters SAE, O’Keeffe LM, Willeit P. Breastfeeding Is Associated With a Reduced Maternal Cardiovascular Risk: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Involving Data From 8 Studies and 1 192 700 Parous Women. J Am Heart Assoc. 2022 .
6. 6.Al-Anazi OM, Mohammad Haneef MS, Zafar M, Ahsan M. Association of Maternal Obesity and Diabetes Mellitus with Exclusive Breastfeeding Among Saudi Mothers in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. Int J Prev Med. 2022 Apr 8;13:68. Doi: 10.4103/ijpvm. IJPVM_61_20. PMID: 35706874; PMCID: PMC9188902. doi:10.4103/ijpvm
7. 7.Luzardo-Ocampo I, Dena-Beltrán JL, Ruiz-Herrera X, Ocampo-Ruiz AL, Martínez de la Escalera G, Clapp C, Macotela Y. Obesity-derived alterations in the lactating mammary gland: Focus on prolactin. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2023 Jan 1;559:111810.
8. 8.Achike M, Akpinar-Elci M. The Role of Maternal Prepregnancy Body Mass Index in Breastfeeding Outcomes: A Systematic Review. Breastfeed Med. 2021;16(9):678-686.