FitMum at STS conference
At the joint meeting of the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) and the European Association for the Study of Science and Technology (EASST), held 18-21 August 2020, Julie Bønnelycke, Astrid Pernille Jespersen and Maria Mieskiewics Larsen from CoRe presented two papers on their current work with the FitMum project.
They participated in various sessions with inspiring perspectives on biomedicine, health and care practices from the field of Science & Technology, and presented their own work as a part of the panels Choreographies: Rhythms and Movements in Research and Changing Regimes of Biomedical Knowledge Production: the Changing Face of Clinical Trials.
One of the main conclusions was that although pregnancy can be regarded as a window of opportunity to improve health for mother and child, health promoting lifestyle interventions must take into account the changing body and everyday life, which the pregnant has to cope with during and after pregnancy. Perceptions of health and health practices are shaped by past and present experiences and by notions of and expectations for future parenting.
Another aspect, which they draw attention to, problematized how Western health research and clinical trials are mainly based on data collected from white, male participants representing (an illusion of) a generic and stable body. The FitMum project studies pregnant, female bodies, which requires an attention to body and health as changeable understood in the light of social, cultural and everyday life perspectives. This approach contribute with a greater care for participants with an ongoing attunement to their needs resulting in adjustments of the interventions. Simultaneously negotiations and co-production of knowledge arise when participants to a greater extent are involved as experts on their own body.
For further information on the FitMum project visit our home page.