Barriers to Physical Activity During Pregnancy and Postpartum—A Narrative Review

TL;DR

This paper reviews the barriers to physical activity during pregnancy and after childbirth, emphasizing how these challenges change and affect participation.

Contribution

The paper provides a socio-ecological analysis of barriers to physical activity during the perinatal period.

Findings

Moderate physical activity during pregnancy and postpartum offers health benefits like reduced gestational diabetes and depression risks.

Barriers to activity shift from safety concerns during pregnancy to fatigue and childcare issues postpartum.

A socio-ecological framework reveals barriers at multiple levels, including personal, environmental, and policy-based.

Abstract

This article addresses physical activity during pregnancy and the postpartum period, a crucial public health concern. We examine the latest insights into physical activity during the perinatal phase, highlighting key findings on the attitudes, perceived barriers, and factors that influence participation. Engaging in moderate physical activity during this period is deemed safe and offers numerous benefits, such as lowered risks of gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and excessive weight gain, alongside enhanced mental health and sleep quality. After childbirth, continued physical activity provides advantages such as weight management, reduced postpartum depression risk, improved sleep patterns, and a better overall quality of life. However, activity during these stages is often hindered by various barriers stemming from personal issues, societal influences, knowledge gaps, and environmental obstacles. Notably, these challenges tend to shift between pregnancy and postpartum; safety concerns are more prevalent during pregnancy, while issues like fatigue, lack of time, and childcare responsibilities become more significant after delivery. This article uses a socio-ecological framework to analyze these obstacles in depth, categorizing them into intrapersonal, interpersonal, environmental, organizational, and policy-based levels.