An Intervention Study to Increase Physical Activity and Maternal Well-being During Pregnancy

Pregnancy appears to pose a further barrier to exercise, as women remain inactive or cease to exercise all together. Yet, regular physical activity during pregnancy in healthy women has been shown to be safe and positively associated with physical and psychological health benefits. To date interventions to promote physical activity have not targeted pregnant women. We are proposing to pilot the first study to evaluate a theory-derived intervention designed to promote physical activity during pregnancy. We anticipate that pregnant women assigned to the motivationally-tailored exercise intervention will show a significant increase in physical activity from baseline at the post-treatment follow-up (32 weeks gestation). We expect that the motivationally-tailored intervention will positively influence physical and mental health status during pregnancy.

Inclusion criteria

• Pregnant

Exclusion criteria

• Regular participation in moderate intensity exercise for at least 30 minutes, 3 or more times a week at the time of study entry
• Contraindications for participating in exercise during pregnancy as outlined by the SOGC/CSEP clinical practice guidelines
• Inability to communicate in either English or French.