"I have to be the example": Motherhood as a lens for understanding physical activity among low-income women

Parents and people living in poverty are less likely to engage in leisure-time physical activity, yet these groups are underrepresented in socio-ecological studies of activity. To understand barriers and facilitators to leisure-time physical activity within these groups, this study draws on 138 inte...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of leisure research 2022-08, Vol.53 (4), p.575-594
Main Authors: MacNell, Lillian, Hardison-Moody, Annie, Wyant, Amanda, Bocarro, Jason N., Elliott, Sinikka, Bowen, Sarah
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Childrearing practices
Ecological studies
Exercise
Income
Leisure
Low income groups
Motherhood
Mothers
Physical activity
Poverty
Recreation
rural
socio-ecological model
Time use
urban
Women
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Summary:Parents and people living in poverty are less likely to engage in leisure-time physical activity, yet these groups are underrepresented in socio-ecological studies of activity. To understand barriers and facilitators to leisure-time physical activity within these groups, this study draws on 138 interviews with low-income U.S. mothers to highlight the ways in which motherhood framed their decisions and ability to engage in physical activity. The challenges they faced were filtered through their practices as mothers; for example, they had little time and energy to be active because of the demands of daily childrearing and household labor. In addition, their strategies around leisure-time physical activity were tied to ideas of good mothering; for example, they sought opportunities that were free or low-cost for the entire family. Understanding how motherhood shapes low-income women's leisure-time physical activity can inform interventions and policies to increase physical activity among this population.
ISSN:0022-2216
2159-6417
DOI:10.1080/00222216.2022.2051116