Page 145 - Pro-active Management of Women’s Health after Cardiometabolic Complicated Pregnancies

3.4 Motivators and barriers to a healthy postpartum lifestyle| 143
2007. Four of the group interviews consisted of patients with either mild or severe preeclampsia or isolated intrauterine growth restriction. One group interview consisted of women diagnosed with severe preeclampsia. Another group interview consisted of women diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Prior to the interviews, participants provided informed consent and completed a questionnaire regarding ethnicity, level of education, smoking habits, and self- reported weight and height. A moderator (M.H.), assisted by a facilitator (D.B./W.B.), led the focus group interviews. Interviews were held in line with the focus group principles provided by Morgan et al244. A semi-structured focus group discussion guide was used to structure discussion topics (see Table 3.4.2). Topics addressed in the semi-structured discussion guide were motivators and barriers to adoption of a healthy postpartum lifestyle. Additionally, components of the Theory of Planned Behavior were addressed: attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and intention (see theoretical framework below). Interviews were audio taped and each lasted about 60 minutes. The study was approved by the Medical Ethical Committee of the Erasmus University Medical Center.
Theoretical framework
Interpretation of results was theoretically framed within the Theory of Planned Behavior. The topics in the semi-structured interview guide were derived from the components of the Theory of Planned Behavior, according to which attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control determine intention to behavior. Attitude is defined as the degree to which performance of the behavior is positively or negatively valued. Subjective norm is the perceived social pressure to engage or not to engage in a behavior. And perceived behavioral control refers to people's perceptions of their ability to perform a