ArticleBMC pregnancy and childbirth2020
Exploring womens' experiences and decision making about physical activity during pregnancy and following birth: a qualitative study.
Article in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
37 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Women's experiences of discussing health behaviours within their maternity care: a systematic review and meta-synthesis.Reproductive health · 2026Pooled it
- Handling the challenges of accessing reliable and tailored information on physical activity during pregnancy: a mixed-methods, cross-perspective investigation.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
- Reimagining prenatal physical activity and exercise as potential therapeutic strategy in promoting maternal health.Pakistan journal of medical sciences · 2026Article
- Evaluating the barriers to physical activity during pregnancy: a sequential explanatory mixed-methods study.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2026Article
- Assessing self-management responses to educational interventions in at-risk diabetes population: a cluster-based longitudinal analysis.BMJ open · 2026Article
- Barriers to physical activity in pregnant women: a cross-sectional study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
- Experiences of healthcare professionals providing physical activity advice to pregnant and postpartum women: a systematic review of qualitative evidence.BMJ open sport & exercise medicine · 2026Article
- A Qualitative Study on Pregnant Women's Perceptions and Needs for Developing a WeChat Mini-Program for Physical Activity Management During Pregnancy.International journal of women's health · 2026Article
- Exploring Physical Activity Engagement and Related Variables During Pregnancy and Postpartum and the Best Practices for Self-Report Physical Activity Postpartum.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Exploring Factors Influencing Physical Inactivity During the First Trimester of Pregnancy: A Convergent Mixed-Methods Study.Nursing open · 2025Article
- I know i'm not meant to 'diet' but is it ok to lose a few pounds while pregnant?: a qualitative analysis of Mumsnet discussion forum posts to understand women's experiences of and views on weight and weight management while living with excess weight during and after pregnancy.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- "It's More than Just Exercise": Psychosocial Experiences of Women in the Conscious 9 Months Specifically Designed Prenatal Exercise Programme-A Qualitative Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- How should we talk to pregnant women about physical activity? A scoping review of physical activity during pregnancy communication by healthcare professionals in the UK.Health psychology and behavioral medicine · 2025Review
- Article
- Interpersonal Influences on the Choice to Treat Nausea during Pregnancy with Medication or Cannabis.American journal of perinatology · 2024Article
- Perception and reality: The mismatch between absolute and relative physical activity intensity during pregnancy and postpartum in United States women.Preventive medicine · 2024Article
- Physical activity promotion among pregnancy - the role of physician from the women's perspective.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Physical Activity during Preconception Impacts Some Maternal Outcomes-A Cross-Sectional Study on a Population of Polish Women.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- It's time to increase physical activity promotion among pregnant women in France.Journal of education and health promotion · 2023Article
- Health literacy and related behaviour among pregnant women with obesity: a qualitative interpretive description study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPhysical activity (PA) tends to decline during pregnancy, and remains low in the early postpartum period, despite the known physical and psychological benefits. This study aimed to explore: (1) women's experiences of PA during pregnancy and following birth; and (2) decision-making processes related to PA during this time.
methodsSemi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 16 women who were either pregnant or had recently given birth. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis.
resultsThere were two over-arching themes: (1) ownership of body, which consisted of the sub-themes: others try to take ownership, important to maintain fitness into pregnancy and motherhood, expectations of PA, and pressure to conform; and (2) unknown territory, which consisted of the sub-themes: engaging in PA with caution, and unclear advice. Decision-making about PA during pregnancy was influenced by: pressure from others who felt responsible to protect the woman from coming to harm; pressure from social media to lose weight postpartum; participant's beliefs about the benefits of maintaining fitness and participants expectations of how active they thought they would be able to be during pregnancy. Participants felt that pregnancy was an 'unknown territory' in terms of the unfamiliar feelings in their body and the inability to continually monitor their baby for reassurance of baby's health. Advice received from midwives was often lacking, or not tailored to the individual. Advice from friends and family was often regarded as incorrect, but still caused doubt and fear of PA during pregnancy.
conclusionsThese findings contribute to the understanding of women's experiences of PA during pregnancy and post-partum, and their decision-making processes about PA during pregnancy. Developing accurate and tailored advice as part of midwifery care, that considers the physical and psychological aspects of engaging in PA during pregnancy, will help to ensure that women are supported to make informed decisions about their PA behaviour.
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