RESUMEN
AIMS: To explore the underlying beliefs of preventive health behaviours among women with a history of GDM who had low levels of preventive health behaviours during their postpartum period in Singapore. METHODS: This paper reports on the qualitative arm of a mixed method study. The qualitative descriptive design was adopted. Individual interviews were conducted between 7th September 2020 and 25th September 2020 using a semi-structured interview guide. Data collected were analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: A total of 18 women completed the interview. The participants' ages ranged from 26 to 40 years with a mean age of 33.17 years (SD= 4.09). The duration since childbirth was 8.78 months (SD = 1.35). Through thematic analysis, five themes were developed: lifestyle adjustment, self-motivation, supportive environment, barriers to practising a healthy lifestyle, and risk perception. A total of 14 subthemes emerged from the five main themes. The beliefs of women with a history of GDM were described according to the Theory of Planned Behaviour. CONCLUSIONS: Having a newborn brings changes to the lifestyle of a woman and her family, which can affect the health behaviours in the postpartum period. This study revealed several novel findings relating to the unmet needs of women who had GDM, specifically to the need for information and emotional support to safely resume healthy behaviours after childbirth, for which participants have provided suggestions on how to enhance the continuity of care in the postpartum period.
Asunto(s)
Diabetes Gestacional , Conductas Relacionadas con la Salud , Investigación Cualitativa , Humanos , Femenino , Adulto , Embarazo , Diabetes Gestacional/psicología , Diabetes Gestacional/prevención & control , Singapur , Conocimientos, Actitudes y Práctica en Salud , Periodo Posparto/psicologíaRESUMEN
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is an essential nutrition assistance program that has led to successful health outcomes and healthcare access. To alleviate discomfort associated with WIC shopping at stores, the Congress mandated the transition to electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card system from paper vouchers. This study aimed to explore the experiences of WIC recipients in using EBT cards in stores. WIC recipients from one WIC clinic in northern New Jersey (N = 220) participated in this study. An online survey was framed under the theory of planned behavior to probe their underlying behavioral, normative, and control beliefs of using EBT cards. Using content analyses, dominating themes of each belief were extracted. Participants composed of Hispanic (91.2%) with mean age of 31.68 (SD = 7.69). Most frequently mentioned advantages of using EBT cards were convenience and ease (34.3%) followed by fast and efficient (28.5%). Participants noted that most people would approve of using EBT cards (70%), especially those who receive the benefits and approve of the public assistance (16.7%). They stated that having improved store inventory and an increase in WIC-authorized stores (17.2%) would make the EBT cards use easy. The transition to EBT cars allowed purchase flexibility, alleviated stigma and the purchase process burdens, but the challenges associated with WIC app usage and store specific issues remained. These challenges should be addressed in future intervention to enable WIC recipients more engaged in using the EBT cards.