Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Health Education and Promotion

Advisor

Linnaya Graf

Abstract

Nausea Vomiting during Pregnancy (NVP) conditions have commonly occurred among pregnant women during gestation for more than 4,000 years. The purpose of the multicase qualitative design was to examine and improve the understanding of perceptions of pregnant women experiencing nausea and the potential use of Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) modalities to treat NVP symptoms. In this study, the Health Belief Model six core constructs provided the foundation for the theoretical framework for the process, explaining how working pregnant women experience decision-making and relate to the daily challenges associated with pregnancy. The research questions examined experience of coping with NVP and symptoms among a sample of women who were pregnant, the perceived benefits and barriers of using CAM, and what factors influenced the decision-making process of deciding how to treat NVP. A total of 12 participants completed semistructured telephone interviews. The data were analyzed using qualitative thematic methods for extracting themes. The data analyzed generated eight themes with a total of 24 primary and secondary codes critical to the research questions. All the participants noted some benefits of recovery using CAM for their care and their health status changed during NVP. The themes addressed the experience of signs/symptoms, problems with barriers, recovery from NVP, knowledge and understanding the use of CAM, as a result the participants health status changed. Important implications for social change include improved health education services and strategies developed for first-time pregnant women and their unborn child, who are seeking to make informed decisions about NVP and CAM.

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