First-time pregnant women's views and behaviours about exercise

Abstract

The general purpose of this research was to investigate the first-time pregnant women's views and behaviours about exercise. This aim has been achieved through the following objectives; to explore the women's exercise behaviours before and during pregnancy, to determine their awareness of appropriate exercise in pregnancy, to identify women's motivators for exercising and to explore any reasons for not exercising during pregnancy. In this descriptive small scale survey, data was collected by the use of self-administered questionnaires, containing both close and open-ended questions. Thirty first-time Maltese pregnant women, attending the Antenatal Clinic of the local public hospital were chosen by convenience sampling. The response rate was 86%. Data was analysed manually using descriptive statistics and content analysis. Results indicated that women exercised less often during pregnancy when compared to the pre-pregnancy period. On the contrary, swimming and squatting exercises increased during pregnancy. The media and advice received from midwives served as a source of information about exercise during pregnancy. Fitness and a positive mood improvement were the main reasons that encouraged pregnant women to exercise. Husbands/partners and relatives were identified as providing support to exercise during pregnancy. The main reasons for not exercising were health-related concerns and time constraints. Overall, women were aware about the benefits of exercise and had somewhat clear beliefs about what forms of exercises were safe during pregnancy. However, women decreased their exercise behaviour mainly due to the physical changes pregnancy poses on women's health. The main recommendations include the need to provide up-to-date information about exercise to all pregnant women, in order to enhance their health. Further research can be carried out using a larger scale longitudinal and also utilizing qualitative methods. Moreover, midwives should examine women's views about exercising during pregnancy and support them in designing exercise strategies accordingly, in an attempt to increase their exercise participation overall.