Date of Award
Spring 4-16-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Kinesiology (EdD)
Department
Kinesiology
Abstract
There is a low adherence to prenatal exercise guidelines which may be affected by several barriers including a lack of knowledge regarding the benefits to, safety of, and general guidelines for prenatal exercise. This study sought to investigate the communication that occurs in prenatal appointments and the barriers associated with low exercise rates. Data was collected from 54 pregnant and postpartum women between the ages of 18-40 through an anonymous survey and analyzed through SPSS software. Twenty-four (44.4%) respondents indicated discussion regarding exercise recommendations occurred and five (9.3%) shared that resources for exercise recommendations were provided. Twenty-three (42.6%) participants were made aware of benefits to prenatal exercise and nine (16.7%) women discussed risks with their provider. Eleven (20.4%) were diagnosed with a prenatal complication and most of these women counseled further regarding exercise. Respondents generally liked (n=45, 83.3%) or trusted (n=41, 75.9%) their provider and participants found the top barriers to exercise during pregnancy to be fatigue (n=49, 90.7%), lack of time (n=32, 59.3%), and nausea (n=29, 53.7%). Just three participants increased frequency of exercise and only two women increased duration of sessions while pregnant. Chi-Square Testing, Fisher’s Exact Testing, and, when applicable, Cramér’s V were used to study relationships between variables. The two major associations found were between the change in exercise frequency and both receipt of recommendations and resources from a provider. With myriad benefits to prenatal exercise, better communication practices may allow more women to be encouraged to exercise and raise the rate of adherence to guidelines.