Physical activity in mothers of infants: Results from focus groups and an 8 week pilot study: The Footsteps Project

Abstract

Mothers of an infant are much less likely to exercise regularly compared to other women. Focus groups (n=79) were conducted to determine physical activity (PA) patterns before and after childbirth and mothers’ barriers/facilitators of PA. Using this information, a pilot study (n=20) was conducted to test the efficacy of a tailored intervention to increase PA in postpartum women. In both studies, 50% participants were ethnic minorities, mothers’ mean age was early 30s, their infants’ were 7–8 months old, and half were primiparas.