Today’s member profile comes from Dr. Taniya Singh Nagpal, PhD, Post-Doctoral Fellow at The University of Ottawa (Adamo Lab – Prevention in the Early Years Research Program) and with The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. Dr. Nagpal is vice-chair of the Reproductive Years; Preconception, Prenatal, and Postpartum Family Health Committee.
My name is Taniya Nagpal, I am a Post-Doctoral Fellow at The University of Ottawa (Adamo Lab – Prevention in the Early Years Research Program) and with The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. I have been involved with Obesity Canada since 2015 as a member of the Western University local chapter, and OC-SNP Executive as the Special Events Coordinator (2017/2018), Chair (2018/2019), and Outgoing Chair (2019/2020). Most recently, I have the pleasure of being involved with The Reproductive Years Science Committee as Vice-Chair.
My research aims to understand the weight stigma experienced during pregnancy in clinical and physical activity settings. The aim of my research is to develop person-oriented strategies to improve inclusivity in prenatal clinical care and physical activity interventions, with the ultimate goal of contributing to improved health and well-being for mothers and children. With Obesity Canada’s Reproductive Years, EveryBODY Matters, and Public Engagement Committees, we are developing a pregnancy-specific internalized weight bias measurement scale.
This research is important because internalized weight bias can have damaging physical and psychological health implications. Accordingly, the Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guideline recommends measuring and providing targeted care for internalized weight bias. However, pregnancy is a unique experience where weight gain is a natural occurrence and can influence body image, fetal development, and maternal and child health. Therefore, an internalized weight bias scale specific to pregnancy is necessary to account for prenatal health changes, including gestational weight gain. We hope that this scale will facilitate individualized prenatal care inclusive of appropriate support and referrals for internalized weight bias. In addition, we hope to contribute to advancing prenatal care that is free from weight bias and support women with having a healthy pregnancy.
Empowering women to lead a healthy pregnancy leads to strong mothers and children – improving health for more than one generation!
