Overview and hypotheses
weight gain
The current study examined if there is a relationship between DE and young women’s attitudes toward a potential pregnancy. Additionally, the study assessed if various portrayals of pregnancy on social media influence such attitudes. Specifically, we manipulated whether participants saw modified or unmodified images of pregnancy and measured their DE thoughts and behaviors as predictor variables. We measured the effects of the predictor variables on attitudes toward a potential pregnancy, self-efficacy about maintaining healthy eating habits during pregnancy, attitudes toward gestational weight gain, and current body image when considering a potential pregnancy.Based on previous literature, we predicted that young women with higher levels of DE (hypothesis 1), young women who viewed modified social media portrayals of pregnancy (hypothesis 2), and young women with higher levels of DE who viewed modified social media portrayals of pregnancy (hypothesis 3) would have more negative attitudes toward a potential pregnancy, have lower self-efficacy about maintaining healthy eating habits during pregnancy, have more negative attitudes toward gestational weight gain, and have lower current body image when considering a potential pregnancy.