Barriers to physical activity among pregnant women who attend primary health care centers in babylon governorate, iraq

Background: Primary health care is a term that refers the fundamental structural and operational component of public health care in poor nations. Physical activity is safe for both mother and fetus and is associated with the prevention of excess weight gain and its related conditions. Women are often more receptive to behavioral changes during pregnancy if they believe those changes will positively impact on the growing fetus. Physical activity is vital for improving and maintaining health throughout life, including during pregnancy and It's crucial to understand the perceived barriers to leisure-time physical activity during pregnancy in order to build successful health promotion and prevention prenatal programs. Objective: (1) To identify barriers to physical activity during pregnancy, (2) To identify the association between women's age, the family's socioeconomic status, gestational age, gravidity, parity, abortion, and their barriers to physical activity during pregnancy, and (3) To investigate the differences in women's barriers to physical activity during pregnancy between the groups of the level of education, residency, and pregnancy risk category. Methods: It was a descriptive cross-sectional study. Data was collected from pregnant women who visit the primary health care centers in Babylon Governorate, Iraq. The total sample size was 390. The data was collected over three months beginning on March 1, 2022, and ending on June 1, 2022. After obtaining approval from the Babylonian Health Directorate in the hospitals affiliated with the Babylonian Governorate of Iraq, the samples are taken randomly and through a questionnaire that the pregnant woman answered. the study instrument includes two parts the first part women's sociodemographic sheet and the second part consists of the barriers to physical activity during pregnancy scale (BPAPS) by (Amiri-Farahani et al., 2021) Results: When pregnant women grouped according to level of education, there was significant difference among groups (p<0.05), When pregnant women grouped according to residence, there was not statistical significance (p>0.05) among groups. When pregnant women grouped according to body mass index before pregnancy there was significant difference among groups (p<0.05). When pregnant women grouped according to pregnancy trimesters, there was not statistical significance (p>0.05) among groups. Conclusion : The following conclusions were made based on the study's findings: 1. The Barriers to Physical Activity during the Pregnancy Scale (BPAPS) showed that the Interpersonal Barriers had a higher mean of score. 2. The study results presented no association between the Overall Evaluation of Barriers to Physical Activity during the Pregnancy Scale (BPAPS) and Demographic data (gestational age) 3. The study results showed an association between the Overall Evaluation of Barriers to Physical Activity During Pregnancy Scale (BPAPS) (women's age, Family's socioeconomic status, gravidity, and abortion) Recommendations: Based on the list of conclusions, the study recommends that: 1. A holistic assessment of the barriers to physical activity is required in women during pregnancy. 2. It would be advantageous for future research to evaluate the usefulness of the BPAPS in pregnant women in the overall primary health care centers. 3. Provide an educational package or brochure movie to each patient to increase pregnant women's knowledge of the barriers to physical activity during pregnancy.