Physical Activity Beliefs and Behaviors during Pregnancy and their Association with Provider Counseling among Women in the Southern United States

Christiana C. Rebelle; Shannon L. Jette; John Michael Mills; Rachel A. Tinius

doi:10.5334/paah.210

Figures & Tables

Table 1

Sociodemographic Statistics (n = 292).

CHARACTERISTIC	MEAN ± SD OR N (%)
Age(y) at start of last pregnancy	29.5 ± 5.8
BMI at start of last pregnancy	26.3 ± 6.5
Race/Ethnicity
American Indian or Alaska Native	3 (1.0)
Asian or Pacific Islander	17 (5.6)
Black	45 (14.8)
Hispanic	43 (14.1)
Non-Hispanic White	172 (56.4)
Other/Multiracial	25 (8.2)
Education
Less than high school or GED	8 (2.7)
High school graduate or GED	58 (19.9)
Some college	58 (19.9)
2-year degree/Associate’s degree	39 (13.4)
4-year degree/Bachelor’s degree	86 (29.5)
Graduate degree (e.g., Master’s or Doctorate)	43 (14.7)
Annual household income
Less than $10,000	21 (7.2)
$10,000 – $19,999	15 (5.1)
$20,000 – $29,999	21 (7.2)
$30,000 – $39,999	41 (14.0)
$40,000 – $49,999	24 (8.2)
$50,000 – $59,999	29 (9.9)
$60,000 – $69,999	17 (5.8)
$70,000 – $79,999	22 (7.5)
$80,000 – $89,999	20 (6.8)
$90,000 – $99,999	14 (4.8)
$100,000 – $149,999	53 (18.2)
More than $150,000	15 (5.1)
Parity
1	126 (43.2)
2	101 (34.6)
3	44 (15.1)
4 or more	21 (7.2)
Marital status
Separated/Divorced/Widowed/Never married	54 (18.5)
Married/Living with partner	238 (81.5)
Exercise before pregnancy
Less than 150 mins of exercise per week	190 (65.1)
150 mins or more of exercise per week	102 (34.9)
Health status during your last pregnancy
Excellent	73 (25.0)
Very good	112 (38.4)
Good or average	81 (27.7)
Fair	19 (6.5)
Poor	7 (2.4)
Advice about physical activity from prenatal health provider
Yes	192 (65.8)
No	100 (32.4)

Table 2

Salient Beliefs about Physical Activity During Pregnancy.

BELIEFS	n(%) n = 292
Barriers
Too Tired	247(88.6)
Lack of Motivation	219(75.0)
Too Lazy	175(59.9)
Not Enough Time	149(51.0)
Benefits
Improved Health	258(88.3)
Releasing Tension	233(79.8)
Feeling Better Psychologically	229(78.4)
Sense of Accomplishment	229(78.4)
Increasing Mental Alertness	214(73.3)
Getting Stronger	200(68.5)
Reduced Risk of Heart Attack†	32(76.2)
Cues to Action
Not Fitting Comfortably in Clothing	154(53.3)
Shortness of Breath	133(45.6)
Provider Recommendation	126(43.2)
Support from Others
Provider	116(39.7)
Spouse/Partner	108(37)
Susceptibility
Anxiety	183(62.7)
Depression	153(52.4)
Stiffness and Soreness††	82(56.2)
High Blood Pressure††	77(52.8)

[i] Data are n(%) of agreeance among the total sample unless noted otherwise.

† High level of agreeance only among participants that identified as Non-Hispanic Black, n = 45.

†† High level of agreeance only among participants categorized as overweight or obese, n = 146.

Table 3

Sociodemographic Factors Most Associated with Beliefs and Behaviors During Pregnancy.

	EXERCISE BEFORE PREGNANCY†	INCOME††	EDUCATION††	HISPANIC†	NON-HISPANIC BLACK†	NON-HISPANIC WHITE†
Barriers	–.276**	–.188**	–.229**	–.034	–.079	.031
Benefits	.276**	.035	.161*	–.003	.107	–.050
Susceptibility to Serious Health Problems	–141*	–.114	–.135*	–.080	–.168*	.162
Self-Efficacy	.186**	.014	.130*	–.037	.053	–.063
Exercise/Sport Activity	.363**	.045	.039	.072	–.064	.028
Household/Caregiving Activity	–.065	–.123*	–.161**	.147*	–.049	–.140
Occupational Activity	–.065	.102	.115*	.080	.014	.000
Transportation Activity	–.031	.021	–.024	.055	.155*	–.097
Sedentary Behavior	–.017	–.222**	–.103	.076	.224**	–.266**

[i] † Data are two-tailed point-biserial correlation (r_pb) coefficients.

†† Data are two-tailed Spearman’s correlation (r_s) coefficients.

* p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01.

Table 4

Adjusted Regression Models.

PREDICTORS	BARRIERS	BENEFITS	SUSCEPTIBILITY	SELF-EFFICACY	PHYSICAL ACTIVITY	SEDENTARY
Constant	2.806 (2.27–3.34)	3.236 (2.71–3.76)	1.523 (0.80–2.25)	2.373 (1.70–3.05)	5.768 (5.22–6.32)	3.151 (2.22–4.08)
Provider cue	0.021 (–0.04–0.08)	0.080** (0.02–0.14)	–0.031 (–0.11–0.05)	0.033 (–0.04–0.11)	–0.035 (–0.10–0.03)	0.019 (–0.08–0.12)
Provider support	0.024 (–0.04–0.08)	0.003 (–0.06–0.06)	–0.043 (–0.12–0.04)	–0.006 (–0.08–0.07)	0.018 (–0.04–0.08)	0.034 (–0.07–0.14)
Provider advice	–0.029 (–0.18–0.012)	0.084 (–0.06–0.23)	0.137 (–0.07–0.34)	–0.113 (–0.30–0.07)	0.083 (–0.07–0.24)	0.299** (0.04–0.56)
Age	–0.009 (–0.02–0.00)	–0.004 (–0.02–0.01)	0.006 (–0.01–0.02)	0.015 (0.00–0.03)	–0.005 (–0.02–0.01)	–0.008 (–0.03–0.02)
BMI	0.004 (–0.01–0.02)	0.005 (–0.01–0.02)	0.038** (0.02–0.05)	–0.001 (–0.01–0.01)	–0.003 (–0.01–0.01)	0.007 (–0.01–0.10)
Asian or Pacific Islander†	–0.169 (–0.53–0.20)	0.127 (–0.23–0.48)	–0.274 (–0.77–0.22)	0.168 (–0.29–0.62)	–0.117 (–0.49–0.26)	–0.059 (–0.70–0.57)
Black†	–0.243 (–0.53–0.04)	0.119 (–0.16–0.40)	–0.608** (–1.00––0.22)	0.011 (–0.35–0.37)	–0.170 (–0.46–0.13)	0.255 (–0.25–0.75)
Hispanic	–0.194 (–0.31–0.16)	0.007 (–0.27–0.28)	–0.329 (–0.71–0.05)	–0.169 (–0.52–0.18)	0.136 (–0.15–0.42)	–0.107 (–0.60–0.38)
White†	–0.071 (–0.09–0.03)	0.013 (–0.22–0.24)	–0.091 (–0.41–0.23)	–0.121 (–0.42–0.17)	–0.218 (–0.46–0.02)	–0.238 (–0.65–0.17)
Marital status	0.154 (–0.03–0.34)	–0.140 (–0.32–0.04)	0.070 (–0.19–0.33)	–0.031 (–0.27–0.21)	–0.070 (–0.26–0.12)	0.035 (–0.29–0.36)
Education	–0.031 (–0.09–0.03)	0.072* (0.01–0.13)	–0.010 (–0.09–0.07)	0.048 (–0.03–0.13)	–0.023 (–0.09–0.04)	0.011 (–0.10–0.12)
Income	–0.016 (–0.04–0.01)	–0.010 (–0.04–0.02)	–0.025 (–0.06–0.01)	–0.024 (–0.06–0.01)	0.003 (–0.02–0.03)	–0.051** (–0.10––0.01)
Parity	–0.015 (–0.09–0.06)	0.043 (–0.03––0.12)	0.155** (0.05–0.26)	–0.033 (–0.13–0.07)	0.048 (–0.03–0.13)	–0.115 (–0.25–0.02)
Prepregnancy exercise	–0.294** (–0.044–0.15)	0.308** (0.17–0.45)	–0.109 (–0.31–0.09)	0.270** (0.09–0.45)	–0.084 (–0.23–0.07)	–0.030 (–0.28–0.22)
Health status	0.124** (0.05–0.19)	–0.057 (–0.16–0.01)	0.177** (0.08–0.27)	–0.061 (–0.15–0.03)	–0.005 (–0.08–0.07)	–0.043 (–0.17–0.08)
Model statistics
ΔR²	0.15	0.13	0.21	0.04	0.02	0.08
F	4.45**	3.94**	6.19**	1.78*	1.40	2.75**

[i] Data are B coefficient (95% Confidence interval) unless noted otherwise.

* p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01; bolded.

† non-Hispanic.