“An on-going individual adjustment”: a qualitative study of midwives’ experiences counselling pregnant women on physical activity in Sweden

Abstract Backgrounds: Reduced physical activity in pregnant women is highly stemmed from their misconceptions and attitudes during pregnancy. This study aimed to recognize the facilitators, barriers, and structural factors that influence activity among pregnant women.Methods: This qualitative study was conducted from January to June 2020 in nulliparous pregnant women. Forty participants selected randomly from the Pounak Health Center of Tehran City, Iran, were answered open-ended questions about the obstacles that deprived them of physical activity during pregnancy. Data were analyzed by MAXQDA 12 software. Results: 620 primary codes, 42 secondary codes, 11 sub-themes, and 6 themes were extracted. These themes were divided into the PEN-3 categories; facilitators, barriers, and structural factors. The nurture factors as facilitators had communication and support from others as sub-themes. Barriers consisted of socio-cultural (participate in pregnancy ‎class with a companion; social beliefs; culture of poverty), socioeconomic (financial problems), and individual factors‎ (physical, psycho-emotional, and spiritual dimensions) and structural factors consisted of environmental (equipment) and organizational (possibilities in health ‎centers) factors. Conclusion: Lack of awareness and misinformation, accessibility obstacles, and economic problems are ‎the most physical activity barriers during pregnancy. Being among other pregnant women ‎and the physicians' recommendations are the most facilitators of physical activity during ‎pregnancy.‎

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Predictors of Physical Activity in Pregnant Women

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e508002008-001 ◽

2008 ◽

Author(s):

Dolores T. Cannella ◽

Marci Lobel ◽

Alan G. Monheit

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Pregnant Women

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Effect of lifestyle intervention on dietary habits, physical activity, and gestational weight gain in obese pregnant women: a randomized controlled trial.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.1280988.746106 ◽

2009 ◽

Author(s):

Marleen van Baak

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Weight Gain ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Lifestyle Intervention ◽

Gestational Weight Gain ◽

Dietary Habits ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Gestational Weight ◽

Randomized Controlled

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Diversity in teachers’ approaches to movement integration: A qualitative study of lower secondary school teachers’ perceptions of a state school reform involving daily physical activity

European Physical Education Review ◽

10.1177/1356336x19865567 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

pp. 429-447

Author(s):

Henrik Taarsted Jørgensen ◽

Sine Agergaard ◽

Michalis Stylianou ◽

Jens Troelsen

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

School Reform ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Policy And Practice ◽

Teachers Perceptions ◽

Physical Activity Policy ◽

Danish School ◽

Group Interviews ◽

Movement Integration

In the context of implementing a physical activity policy as part of a national school reform in Denmark, the purpose of this study was to explore lower secondary teachers’ interpretations and perceptions of the physical activity policy with a focus on movement integration. In total, 14 teachers from four different schools were selected to take part in this qualitative study, which involved semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews, go-along observations and informal interviews. A thematic analysis framework was employed to identify and describe patterns of meaning within data. The findings showed substantial diversity among teachers’ interpretations and perceptions of movement integration, and consequently a lack of definitional clarity regarding movement integration and a possible misalignment between policy and practice. Teachers’ perceptions and interpretations of movement integration were influenced by other and more prioritised policies and discourses regarding academic achievement, as well as by intrapersonal, interpersonal and institutional factors. The findings also suggested a lack of support and collaboration within the school and provided insights into the strengths and weaknesses associated with the autonomy afforded in the Danish school reform.

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Physical Activity Patterns of Women with a Twin Pregnancy—A Cross-Sectional Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18157724 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (15) ◽

pp. 7724

Author(s):

Katarzyna Kwiatkowska ◽

Katarzyna Kosińska-Kaczyńska ◽

Izabela Walasik ◽

Agnieszka Osińska ◽

Iwona Szymusik

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Twin Pregnancy ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Multiple Pregnancy ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Physically Active

Background: No specific physical activity guidelines are available for women in multiple pregnancy. Aim of the study was to assess the knowledge and experience of women regarding physical activity during their latest twin pregnancy. Methods: A cross-sectional study including women after a twin delivery was conducted in Poland. A questionnaire was distributed in 2018 via web pages and Facebook groups designed for pregnant women. Results: 652 women filled out the questionnaire completely. Only 25% of women performed any physical exercises during twin gestation. The frequency of preterm delivery was similar in physically active and non-active participants. 35% of the respondents claimed to have gained information on proper activity from obstetricians during antenatal counselling while 11% claimed to be unable to identify the reliable sources of information. 7% of women admitted to feel discriminated by social opinion on exercising during a twin pregnancy. Conclusions: The population of women with a twin gestation is not sufficiently physically active and is often discouraged from performing exercises during gestation. Therefore, it is crucial to inform obstetricians to recommend active lifestyle during a twin gestation and to provide reliable information on physical activity to pregnant women. Further research on this topic is necessary in order for obstetric providers to counsel women on appropriate exercise with a twin pregnancy.

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Perspectives of pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study

Women and Birth ◽

10.1016/j.wombi.2021.03.008 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kiran Atmuri ◽

Mahbub Sarkar ◽

Efe Obudu ◽

Arunaz Kumar

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Study ◽

Pregnant Women

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A positive deviance-based qualitative study of stress, coping, and feeding practices among low-income, Hispanic mothers whose children do versus do not meet guidelines for fruit and vegetable intake

Health Education Research ◽

10.1093/her/cyaa037 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 35 (6) ◽

pp. 584-604

Author(s):

Eleanor Shonkoff ◽

Sara C Folta ◽

Theodore Fitopoulos ◽

Cynthia N Ramirez ◽

Ricky Bluthenthal ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

Low Income ◽

Comparison Group ◽

Vegetable Intake ◽

Feeding Practices ◽

The United States ◽

Positive Deviance ◽

Healthy Weight ◽

Hispanic Mothers

Abstract Less than 1% of children in the United States concurrently meet guidelines for fruit/vegetable intake, physical activity, screen time, and sugar-sweetened beverages. Prior evidence suggests that parents of this 1% potentially cope with stress differently. This qualitative study used a positive deviance-based approach to locate mothers whose children avoided negative feeding outcomes despite being ‘high-risk’ for obesity. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in Spanish for two groups: low-income, Hispanic mothers whose children were normal weight and met recommendations for fruits/vegetables and physical activity (n = 5); and a comparison group whose children had obesity and did not meet guidelines (n = 8). Topics included weight-related parenting practices, attitudes toward health, and stress management. Interviews were transcribed, translated, and coded using NVivo for theoretically driven thematic analysis. Results suggested that mothers viewed stress differently. Mothers of healthy weight children believed stress could be prevented, such as by paying children more attention or directing one’s attention away from stressors; comparison group mothers tended to report stress about managing their child’s eating and about financial worries. Future research is needed to understand the underlying sources of these differences (e.g. personality traits, coping practices) and test whether stress prevention interventions can promote healthy parental feeding practices.

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Why do pregnant women prefer cesarean birth? A qualitative study in a tertiary care center in Southern Thailand

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth ◽

10.1186/s12884-020-03525-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Chitkasaem Suwanrath ◽

Sopen Chunuan ◽

Phawat Matemanosak ◽

Sutham Pinjaroen

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Study ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Risk Perceptions ◽

Care Center ◽

Tertiary Care ◽

Cesarean Birth ◽

Positive Attitudes ◽

Cesarean Births ◽

Medical Indications ◽

Superstitious Beliefs

Abstract Background Increasing worldwide rates of cesarean section are of global concern. In recent years, cesarean births upon maternal request have become a hotly debated issue. Hence, this study aimed to explore maternal reasons for cesarean preference without medical indications. Methods A descriptive qualitative study was conducted, using in-depth interviews with 27 pregnant women who preferred cesarean birth, attending antenatal care in Songklanagarind Hospital from September 2018 to June 2019. Data were analyzed using content analysis. Results Maternal reasons for cesarean preference were classified into six main categories: fear of childbirth, safety concerns related to health risk perceptions, negative previous birth experiences, positive attitudes toward cesarean birth, access to biased information and superstitious beliefs in auspicious birth dates. Most women had more than one reason for opting cesarean birth. Conclusion Several reasons for cesarean birth preference have been elucidated. One striking reason was superstitious beliefs in auspicious birth dates, which are challengable for obstetricians to deal with. Obstetricians should explore the exact reasons why women request cesarean birth in order to prevent or diminish unnecessary cesarean births.

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