"Sit Yourself Down": Women's Experiences of Negotiating Physical Activity During Pregnancy.

ABSTRACT: Approaches to understanding why physical activity (PA) tends to decline during pregnancy are generally based on individualized behavioral models, examining "barriers" or "enablers." In contrast, we used a social practice approach to explore the ways in which women negotiate PA during pregnancy within the contexts and routines of their everyday lives. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 18 pregnant women who had been classed as being at risk of gestational diabetes. We found that leisure-time physical activities were valued as pleasurable and therapeutic, but women's roles as employees and carers for others often constrained their opportunities for leisure-time PA. Women encountered others' expectations that they should sit down and slow down. This surveillance was often resisted,

SUBMITTER: Wagnild JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7682526 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature