How is the body image of women in postpartum first year? What
are the factors affecting the body image?
N. Erbil, A. Senkul, G.F. Basara, Y.
Saglam, M. Gezer
Ondokuz Mayis University, Ordu School of Health, Department of
Nursing, Ordu, Turkey
Objective This research has been made to determine the
body image in the first year after giving birth and to examine the factors
affecting the body image.
Design and methods The descriptive correlational
design and cross-sectional research are women having consulted to Ordu Birth and
Children’s Hospital Polyclinic and Mother-Children Health and Family Planning
Center for different reasons, and the women who are in 3-12 months after giving
birth. There has not been any elimination of sample, and 440 volunteer
postpartum women were included in the research with the technique nonrandomly
sampling who came to the institutions mentioned above. The data were collected
with the questionnaire form with 27 prepared according to the literature and the
Scale of Body Image developed by Secord and Jourand in 1953 and adapted for
Turkish society by Hovardaoglu in 1989. The technique of face to face interview
was used for collecting the data in the research. The analysis of the data were
made with percentage, arithmetic average, analysis of variant, t test, analysis
of Pearson correlation in SPSS 11.5 statistical program on computer.
Results It
was determined that 83.6% of them in postpartum first year do not do exercises,
57.7% of the women and 79.1% of the men have positive attitudes about woman’s
body weight. It was determined that 87.3% of the women have not got any
information for keeping their body fit, 96.4% of them follow normal diets. It
was determined that 97.5% of the women live their babies, 53.6% of them have no
assistant for caring the baby, 68.9%of the babies are happy. The average of
total point of the participants’ body image is 143.09±13.02. It was determined
that the total point of the participants’ body image shows a significant
difference among groups according to women’s age ( P=.011), level of education
(P=.000), number of giving birth ( P=.001), the attitude of husband to woman’s
body sizes( P=.000), her own attitude (P=.000), the state of getting aid for
baby care (P=.000), the state of doing exercises (P=.029). It was determined
that there is negative weak relation between the points of Body Mass Index and
Body Image ( r=-.176 P=.001).
Conclusions At the end of this research, it was
determined that women who are young, university graduate, have few number of
giving birth, have positive attitudes about their body together with their
husbands, have aid for baby care, do regular exercises get higher points in for
body image. The positive development of women’s body image in postpartum period
can be achieved with giving the education of nourishment and exercise during
pregnancy and after pregnancy just at the beginning of pregnancy. Besides, the
husbands should be included in those educations and the importance of being in
positive manner to the women and helping them. Moreover, the support of the
other family members should be emphasized.