A Qualitative Study on Pregnant Women’s Perceptions and Needs for Developing a WeChat Mini-Program for Physical Activity Management During Pregnancy

XiaoYun Li,1,2,* YuZhen Liang,1,* JinXia Huang,3 Shu Cai1 1School of Nursing, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Nursing, School of Medicine, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of South China University of Technology (Nanhai District People’s Hospital of Foshan), Foshan, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Obstetrics, Yunfu People’s Hospital, Yunfu, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Shu Cai, School of Nursing, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-020-34055937, Email [email protected]: Physical activity is crucial for the health of both the mother and the baby, but it is often underutilized due to safety concerns, insufficient guidance, and the lack of user-friendly platforms. This study explored pregnant women’s perceptions and needs regarding mobile health platforms for physical activity management to guide the development of a needs-oriented intelligent management platform.Patients and Methods: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted with 37 pregnant women recruited from the obstetric outpatient department. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and data were analyzed using content analysis. This study was reported following SRQR guidelines.Results: Four key themes emerged: physical and mental changes during pregnancy, perceptions and concerns about exercise, needs for exercise guidance, and requirements for mobile health platforms.Conclusion: Pregnant women are receptive to mobile health platforms for physical activity management. Developers and healthcare providers should focus on meeting their actual needs through a comprehensive, safe, and personalized tool to support physical activity during pregnancy.Keywords: pregnant women, physical activity, needs assessment, qualitative research, intelligent management platform