Exploring Factors Influencing Physical Inactivity During the First Trimester of Pregnancy: A Convergent Mixed-Methods Study.
Tianchun Zhou, Yuping Lin, Yan Ding and 1 others
PMID 41216800WHAT IT FOUND
51.2% of surveyed Shanghai pregnant women were physically inactive in the first trimester; only 2.1% met activity guidelines.
Interviews linked inactivity to discomfort, fear of harming the baby, work demands, family advice, weather, and cultural rest beliefs.
Key findings
0151.2% of women were physically inactive in the first trimester, and only 2.1% met international physical activity guidelines.
02College or postgraduate education was associated with more physical inactivity, while regular exercise before pregnancy was associated with sufficient activity and vaginal bleeding with lower activity.
03Interviews identified individual, interpersonal, social, and environmental factors influencing first-trimester physical inactivity.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Physical activity was self-reported by questionnaire, without objective wearable measurement, so misclassification is possible. The survey used convenience sampling at one Shanghai hospital, and the sample may not represent other populations or settings. The quantitative part was cross-sectional, so it can show associations but cannot prove that any factor caused physical inactivity. No intervention was tested, so the study cannot show that advice, support, or exercise programmes reduce physical inactivity or improve pregnancy outcomes. The study captured only pregnant women's views, not the perspectives of health professionals or policymakers, and the quantitative and qualitative psychological data were not fully aligned.
Declared interests
No conflicts-of-interest or funding statement is provided in the supplied text. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Hospital of Fudan University.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the high inactivity rate or the associated factors as proof that exercise counselling or lifestyle changes would improve activity or pregnancy outcomes; this was a descriptive mixed-methods study with no intervention tested.