Pregnancy: Does it Change Exercise Participation?

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine whether the changes in body shape during pregnancy provided motivation for continued exercise participation. A longitudinal study was conducted with sixty five nulliparous women (mean age 30.3 years) who were interviewed twice during their pregnancies. The women were administered a semistructured interview, the Body Cathexis Scale and an exercise history questionnaire at approximately 17 weeks and 30 weeks. Interviews were recorded on a response sheet and audiotaped. Themes explored included motivation for exercise, advice from health practitioners, attitude to weight gain, mood change, and body image. At the initial interview women stated their intention either to continue or resume exercise in the second trimester of pregnancy. After the second interview the women were allocated to the 'exercise', 'middle' or 'nonexercise' groups based on their level of exercise participation. The study found that 40% of the women changed their level of exercise during pregnancy. The reasons women chose to exercise were in response to the promoted benefits of exercise. To maintain muscle tone for postnatal shape ranked third as a motive for women anticipating body size and shape changes. Women need encouragement and social support to maintain their commitment to exercise during pregnancy whether they choose groups or an 'exercise buddy'.