Assessment of Knowledge and Symptoms of Pregorexia in Pregnant Women in the Context of Child's Health

Background: Pregorexia is one of the eating disorders that affects pregnant women. It is manifested through frequent weight control and taking actions to reduce it, such as: applying restrictive diets, performing intense physical exercise, as well as taking medicines and laxatives. A disorder can be a serious threat both for a pregnant woman and a child. These dangers are mainly related to food shortages that arise, among others due to malnutrition and starvation.

Objective: Assessment of knowledge about pregorexia and diagnosis of its symptoms among pregnant women.

Methods: The study was carried out in April 2019 in maternity schools in Lower Silesia. The study involved 48 pregnant women. A questionnaire was used to conduct the study. Microsoft Excel 2013 and StatSoft Statistica 13.3 were used to develop the results.

Results: Over 84% of respondents defined pregorexia as "weight control during pregnancy and taking measures to reduce it, as well as restrictive diets, intensive exercise and laxatives. 91% of women were of the opinion that a low body weight in a pregnant woman could affect the course of pregnancy, birth weight and baby's health. Respondents during pregnancy did not use any restrict diet. About 70% of respondents were concerned about getting fat on their weight. Also 75% of pregnant women controlled their body weight by weighing. Over 93% of respondents did not exercise increased physical activity during pregnancy.

Conclusion: Despite basic knowledge about pregorexia and the lack of significant symptoms in pregnant women, it is important to educate this group about the health consequences that may result from abnormal eating habits during pregnancy including the use of dietary restorations.