‘There’s Just Something Really Peaceful About It’: a Qualitative Exploration of Mothers with Young Children and Engagement in Group-Based Physical Activity Programs

Background Many mothers with young children often do not achieve recommendations of at least 150-min moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) each week. Previous qualitative work has generally focused on getting inactive mothers with young children to be active, so the characteristics of women...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of behavioral medicine 2022-12, Vol.29 (6), p.807-819
Main Authors: Peralta, Louisa R., Yager, Zali, Prichard, Ivanka
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Children
Children & youth
Designers
Diabetes
Digital music
Exercise
Family Medicine
Full Length Manuscript
General Practice
Health Psychology
Interviews
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Physical activity
Postpartum period
Qualitative research
Womens health
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Summary:Background Many mothers with young children often do not achieve recommendations of at least 150-min moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) each week. Previous qualitative work has generally focused on getting inactive mothers with young children to be active, so the characteristics of women who are active during early postpartum period are not well understood. This research set out to capture the characteristics of mothers with young children who engage in MVPA and how these women manage barriers and harness enablers to sustain in engagement in physical activity (PA) over an extended period. Method Thirty-two participants ranging in age from 27 to 42 years (35.2 ± 4.8), with age of their youngest child ranging from 6 weeks old to 5 years, participated in semi-structured interviews. Results Inductive thematic analysis revealed three overarching themes and fourteen sub-themes relating to the characteristics of active mothers with young children and the engagement and maintenance factors that recruit and sustain these women in group-based physical activity programs. Specifically, mothers with young children relish a welcoming and supportive environment that accommodates babies and young children, is affordable and convenient, focuses on building strength and functionality, and is non-judgmental. Conclusion These findings advance knowledge by providing considerations and recommendations that support intervention and program designers to be able to develop group-based physical activity programs for mothers with young children.
ISSN:1070-5503
1532-7558
DOI:10.1007/s12529-022-10062-0