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Perceived Barriers to Physical Activity Among Pregnant Women

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Abstract

Objective Physical activity generally declines during pregnancy, but barriers to activity during this time period are not well understood. The objective was to examine barriers to physical activity in a large cohort of pregnant women and to explore these barriers in more depth with qualitative data derived from a separate focus group study using a socioecologic framework. Method A total of 1535 pregnant women (27–30 weeks’ gestation) enrolled in the Pregnancy, Infection, and Nutrition Study were asked an open-ended question about their primary barrier to physical activity; responses were coded into categories according to the socioecologic framework. To further elucidate, 13 focus groups of a total of 58 pregnant women (20–37 weeks’ gestation) were conducted among Hispanic, African American, and White participants. Results Among the 1535 pregnant women participating in the survey, 85% reported an intrapersonal barrier to physical activity, of which almost two-thirds were health related. Only 2% of the women reported their main barrier to physical activity as interpersonal and 3% reported a neighborhood or environmental barrier. These results were supported by the focus group data, overall and by race/ethnicity and body mass index. Although women discussed barriers to physical activity at a variety of levels, the intrapersonal level was the most frequently cited and discussed factor in both studies. Conclusions Since pregnancy may trigger the development of obesity and since physical activity is recommended for healthy pregnant women, it is imperative to promote physical activity in a more relevant way. These quantitative and qualitative studies revealed many barriers to physical activity among pregnant women and some suggestions for interventions.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by NIH/NICHD grant #HD37584/#RR00046, NIH/NIDDK #DK61981, and NIH/NCI #CA109804. The authors thank Aimee Benson, Shelly Harris, Diane Kaczor, Neeve Neevel, and Fang Wen for assistance with the data management and analysis and Gratia Wright (First Research, Inc.) and her staff for moderating the focus groups. We also thank Drs. Amanda Birnbaum, Leslie Bunce, and Renée Ferrari, as well as the anonymous reviewers, for their helpful comments on earlier drafts of this paper. The Pregnancy, Infection, and Nutrition Study, along with the ancillary projects, are a joint effort of many investigators and staff members whose work we gratefully acknowledge.

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Correspondence to Kelly R. Evenson.

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Evenson, K.R., Moos, MK., Carrier, K. et al. Perceived Barriers to Physical Activity Among Pregnant Women. Matern Child Health J 13, 364–375 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-008-0359-8

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