Research Article

Facilitators, Barriers, and Structural Determinants of Physical Activity in Nulliparous Pregnant Women: A Qualitative Study

Table 2

The theme, subthemes, and codes of the facilitators, barriers, and structural factors.

ThemesSubthemesSecondary codes

Facilitators
Nurture factorsCommunication(i) The role of the physician to advise to do physical activity
(ii) The support of other pregnant women to motivate each other to do physical activity
(iii) Conversation among pregnant women in the virtual network
Support from others(i) The role of the husband to motivate to do physical activity during pregnancy
(ii) The purpose of friends to support the woman
(iii) The critical role of the family to motivate pregnant women
Barriers
Sociocultural factorsParticipate in pregnancy class with a companion(i) Attendance of the spouse as a companion in participating in pregnancy sports classes
(ii) Having other women in the pregnancy class motivates me to attend pregnancy classes
(iii) Having a dedicated sports instructor motivates me to take pregnancy classes
Social beliefs(i) Society believes that exercise is dangerous during pregnancy and harmful to the fetus
(ii) Public opinion on the dangers of pregnancy exercise for the fetus
(iii) Lack of community approval for pregnant women to be active during pregnancy
Culture of poverty(i) Lack of support from the family’s motivation to do physical activity during pregnancy
(ii) Weak family culture to encourage pregnant women to exercise
(iii) Lack of correct view of the usefulness of pregnant women during pregnancy to have a healthy child
Socioeconomic factorsFinancial problems(i) Low income to participate in the classes
(ii) Expensive pregnancy exercise classes
(iii)Lack of price stability due to economic sanctions
Individual factorsPhysical dimensionPhysiological condition(i) Overweight and heaviness in pregnancy
(ii) Difficulty in breathing during pregnancy
(iii) Physiological changes in the body during pregnancy
Pathological condition(i) Difficulty exercising during pregnancy
(ii) Physical problems due to pregnancy
(iii) Having an underlying disease and fear of getting worse
Psychoemotional dimensionAttitude(i) Believing that exercise is not useful during pregnancy
(ii) Believing that obesity does not affect fetal health
(iii) Believing that exercise is dangerous in pregnancy for the mother and fetus
Primary and secondary reactions(i) Compliance with the disease
(ii) Inability to adapt to pregnancy changes
(iii) Uncontrolled diseases caused by pregnancy
Spiritual dimension(i) Negative thinking
(ii) Fear of harm to the fetus
(iii) Stress due to the lack of support from pregnant women
(iv) Lack of confidence in having the ability to do exercise
Structural factors
Environmental factorsEquipment(i) Lack of sports space to participate in classes
(ii) Lack of sports place to participate in classes
(iii) Lack of proper facilities in the exercise class for pregnant women
(iv) Lack of proper placards to inform the community
Organizational factorsPossibilities in health centers(i) Lack of professional staff in health-treatment centers
(ii) Lack of sufficient information among health center staff
(iii) Lack of a specialist in health centers for training
(iv) Lack of suitable places in health centers for holding pregnancy sports classes