Date of Conferral
2022
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Health Services
Advisor
Dr. Madgaline Aagard
Abstract
The growing population of postpartum African-born immigrant women has contributed significantly to the high burden of obesity and poor maternal health outcomes in the state of Texas; however, there is little research on this population. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of weight management among postpartum African-born immigrant women in Texas based on the concepts of the health belief model. Semistructured interviews sparked the life experience of postpartum weight management of African-born immigrant women ages 18–45 who had a baby within the last year and suffered postpartum overweight or obesity. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using NVivo and following the Husserlian transcendental phenomenological principles to develop textural explanations and themes of the lived weight management experiences of African-born immigrant women. The eight themes that emerged through the data analysis process were family support, benefits of postpartum weight loss, motivation for postpartum weight management, healthy relationships with food, portion sizes, financial issues, participation in physical activities, and obstacles to weight management. This study adds to the existing body of knowledge on postpartum obesity prevention and treatment for African-born immigrant women to the United States and can be used to support the development of tailored weight management interventions for this population.
Recommended Citation
Emehel, Ethel, "Weight Management Among Postpartum African-Born Immigrant Women in Texas" (2022). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 12338.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/12338
