Healthy Eating Among Low-Income Pregnant Women: Developing a Nutrition Education Module

Barriers to good nutrition among low-income pregnant women are well documented. However, we know that in spite of these barriers some women are successful in consuming a healthy diet. Using a positive deviance approach, this project aimed to identify factors that enabled some pregnant women within a low-income community to maintain a healthy diet during pregnancy. Women were identified as “healthy eaters” and interviewed to determine the factors that influenced their healthy eating. Personal, environmental, and behavioral factors that enable “healthy eaters” to eat healthfully were identified. Interview responses were analyzed to identify shared factors and common themes. This information, along with current literature, was used to develop a nutrition education module for the prenatal clinic that serves the same population from which the “healthy eaters” were derived. A positive deviance approach is comprised of a series of six stages. We incorporated four of the six stages: defining the problem and the community norms, finding individuals displaying the desired behavior, identifying factors that enable individuals to find solutions, and designing interventions enabling others to implement desired behaviors. The key factors identified that enable low-income pregnant women to eat healthfully will be presented. The findings presented have the potential to add to the general knowledge concerning nutrition among low-income pregnant women. A positive deviance approach may increase the ability of prenatal clinics to identify and meet the needs of their clients.