Moving through Motherhood: Involving the Public in Research to Inform Physical Activity Promotion throughout Pregnancy and Beyond

Abstract

Information received by women regarding physical activity during and after pregnancy often lacks clarity and may be conflicting and confusing. Without clear, engaging, accessible guidance centred on the experiences of pregnancy and parenting, the benefits of physical activity can be lost. We describe a collaborative process to inform the design of evidence-based, user-centred physical activity resources which reflect diverse experiences of pregnancy and early parenthood. Two iterative, collaborative phases involving patient and public involvement (PPI) workshops, a scoping survey (n = 553) and stakeholder events engaged women and maternity, policy and physical activity stakeholders to inform pilot resource development. These activities shaped understanding of challenges experienced by maternity and physical activity service providers, pregnant women and new mothers in relation to supporting physical activity. Working collaboratively with women and stakeholders, we co-designed pilot resources and identified important considerations for future resource development. Outcomes and lessons learned from this process will inform further work to support physical activity during pregnancy and beyond, but also wider health research where such collaborative approaches are important. We hope that drawing on our experiences and sharing outcomes from this work provide useful information for researchers, healthcare professionals, policy makers and those involved in supporting physical activity behaviour.

Running During Pregnancy and Postpartum, Part B: How Does Running-Related Advice and Guidance Received During Pregnancy and Postpartum Affect Women's Running Habits?

“…It is evident that supporting women to remain active during pregnancy needs to go beyond providing women with standardized medical information relating to exercise. Instead, guidance should consider the individual constraints and needs of pregnant women (eg, lifestyle) 7,16,27. Therefore, it is important that women are provided with tailored exercise guidance during pregnancy, which aligns with their preferred exercise habits, in a similar manner to that which was found during postpartum with women receiving broadly sourced running advice.…”

The Family Is My Priority: How Motherhood Frames Participation in Physical Activity in a Group of Mothers Living in a Low Socioeconomic Status Area

“…This is a more positive framing than the concept of the "third shift" described by Dworkin and Wachs (p610), [75] where physical activity becomes another task for women to complete after their paid work and unpaid work in the home. The benefits of positive framing or "gain framing", particularly the social and mental health benefits that will accrue from participation in physical activity have been highlighted by others working with low SES groups [49,50,52]. Some mothers will require more encouragement and support than is currently available to them to become physically active because they are starting from a position that denies the need to undertake exercise, either because they feel physically unable to exercise or because they feel their everyday activities provide sufficient exercise.…”

“…To change, mothers will need information presented in a way that they can readily adopt it in their busy lives, acknowledging both social constraints and inherent anxieties. Salmon et al [52] found that mothers responded positively to "like me" stories with which they could identify. The mothers that participated in this study are part of a general trend in the developed world away from an active lifestyle towards increased sedentary behavior [3].…”

“…Research with low SES groups in England has shown the importance of making public health guidance achievable within the activities of normal daily life, jargon free, and positively framed around capabilities rather than reinforcing a deficit model [49,50]. The infographics published by the UK Chief Medical Officer [51] and intended for use by Health Care Professionals, but actually shared directly with members of the public, have been reported by low SES mothers of young children to be unhelpful and confusing [52]. Instead, such mothers are looking for narratives with which they could identify and achieve [52].…”

“…The infographics published by the UK Chief Medical Officer [51] and intended for use by Health Care Professionals, but actually shared directly with members of the public, have been reported by low SES mothers of young children to be unhelpful and confusing [52]. Instead, such mothers are looking for narratives with which they could identify and achieve [52].…”