@misc{10481/68704,
year = {2021},
url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10481/68704},
abstract = {A significant proportion of scientific studies consider pregnant and breastfeeding women
as vulnerable subjects. The objective of this study was to analyse the perception of pregnant and
breastfeeding women regarding their participation in environmental research studies. Our work is a
descriptive and interpretative observational study that has been developed under the qualitative
research paradigm following a phenomenological and ethnographic perspective. The study involved
173 women selected intentionally in two Spanish autonomous communities. To obtain the primary
data, we relied upon 111 interviews, four focused ethnographies and eight focus groups. The data
encoding and analysis was carried out with the help of NVivo 12 software (QSR International, Boston,
MA, USA). We evidenced the need of pregnant and breastfeeding women for more detailed and
accurate information on the risk of environmental pollutant exposure during their crucial life stage.
In addition, these women claimed for a more participatory role in research studies. Pregnant and
breastfeeding women in Spain ask for greater interaction with researchers and propose a dialogical
relationship between valid partners. We conclude that our pregnant and breastfeeding women
claim more research focused on their collective, as well as clearer, more accessible and structured
information on the risks of exposure to environmental contaminants. In addition, they do not want
to simply be informants; rather, they ask to be active and empowered members by providing their
opinions and arguments throughout the research process.},
organization = {Fundación Pública Andaluza Progreso y Salud de la Junta
de Andalucía, Spain (reference: AP-0139-2017)},
organization = {Ministry of Health of the
Junta de Andalucía, Spain  - A-0043-2018},
organization = {Ramón y Cajal programme
(RYC-2016-20155, of the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness, Spain).},
publisher = {MDPI},
keywords = {Pregnancy},
keywords = {Breastfeeding},
keywords = {Vulnerable population},
keywords = {Environmental risk},
keywords = {Qualitative Research},
title = {Perception and Demands of Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women Regarding Their Role as Participants in Environmental Research Studies},
doi = {10.3390/ijerph18084149},
author = {Company Morales, Miguel and Arrebola Moreno, Juan Pedro},
}