The Pregnancy and Eating Disorders Projekt (PRED)
Eating disorders during pregnancy is an interdisciplinary research project that aims to develop easily accessible support measures for pregnant women with eating disorder symptoms. The first part of the project will investigate pregnant women's experiences of difficulties in getting help for their eating disorder symptoms.
Project description
Although eating disorder symptoms are common in pregnant women and women during the first six months after giving birth, 5% and 13% respectively, few of these women have access to help. This research project initially aims to understand the barriers pregnant women experience in seeking, obtaining, and receiving help, and what kind of help they want. With this knowledge, we can develop healthcare.
In the spring of 2021, we began recruiting participants for the study and interviewed a total of 22 pregnant women. These interviews have been analyzed both in terms of how the women think about their eating disorder during pregnancy (discourse analysis) and what kind of help they themselves want (content analysis).
The project is being run in collaboration between the Center for Clinical Research (CKF) in Dalarna and Uppsala University, the Department of Medical Sciences and the Department of Cultural Anthropology and Ethnology. Ethnologist Annie Woube is participating from the latter institution. The researchers have expertise in psychology, medicine, nutrition, and gender studies.
Publications
Brundin Pettersson C, Lundvik K, Isaksson M, Ramklint M. Requests for support by pregnant women with eating disorder symptoms: a systematic literature review of qualitative studies. J Eat Disord. 2025 Apr 24;13(1):71. doi:10.1186/s40337-025-01251-9. PMID: 40275399; PMCID: PMC12023643.
Responsible researchers
If you have any questions about the study, please feel free to contact those responsible by email or phone:
Cecilia Brundin Pettersson, nutritionist
E-mail: cecilia.pettersson@regiondalarna.se
Phone: 0730 88 63 90
Martina Isaksson, psychologist
E-mail: martina.isaksson@uu.se
Phone: 0706 95 41 08
Jenny Ericson, specialist nurse
E-mail: jenny.ericson@uu.se
Mia Ramklint, Professor
E-mail: mia.ramklint@uu.se
Phone: 018 611 52 43