Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of pregnant Jordanian women towards physical activity in pregnancy: A cross-sectional study

Being inactive before becoming pregnant increases the risk of not initiating exercise during pregnancy. Although exercising has numerous advantages and physical inactivity can be detrimental, research indicates that the majority of pregnant women do not engage in regular exercise. This study aimed to examine knowledge, attitudes, and practices of pregnant Jordanian women towards physical activity during pregnancy. This is a cross-sectional observational study that was conducted between November 2022 and June 2023 in Irbid, Jordan. Jordanian pregnant women were interviewed using the survey tool with the assistance of doctors in the participating health centers. The questionnaire tool examined physical activities profile, knowledge of safety of practicing specific physical activities regularly during a healthy pregnancy, and perception, motivations and barriers related to physical activities during pregnancy. A total of 429 participants were involved in this study. Around 69.0% of the study participants reported that they practiced moderate intensity physical activities outside pregnancy during the past year and only 42.0% achieved the recommended duration of 2.5 hours per week. More than half of the study participants (64.8%) reported that they practice moderate physical activity during pregnancy but only 28.9% achieve the recommended duration of 2.5 hours per week. The mean knowledge score among the study participants was 1.8 (SD: 0.8) out of 5 (represents 36.0% of the maximum attainable score); which reflects low level of knowledge of physical activity during pregnancy. Binary logistic regression analysis identified that higher education level and working in the medical field were factors that are associated with higher likelihood of being knowledgeable of physical activities during pregnancy (P < .05). Older participants (aged 31.6 years and above) were 70.0% more likely to practice physical activity during pregnancy compared to others (P < .01). This study found disparity in reported physical activity levels, and inability to reach specified exercise duration indicates the need for targeted interventions. The impact of age, smoking status, education, and occupation on knowledge and practice implies that different subgroups need different methods. Next studies should focus on creating and implementing effective educational programs and interventions to promote health-conscious physical activity during pregnancy.