Help us research exercise support and guidance during pregnancy

We need pregnant women and midwives to discuss their experiences relating to exercise guidance, information and support during pregnancy.

We are researching pregnant people's perceptions of fear and anxiety related to physical activity guidance provided through midwifery-led care.

Many women in the UK have reported that, whilst they enjoy being active, they have received limited guidance, particularly from healthcare professionals. As a result of this, they often experience feelings of fear towards being active.

This is emphasised during pregnancy, with safety concerns towards the health of the baby and the mother factored in. These feelings often occur, regardless of whether women had exercised regularly before pregnancy or had previous experience in becoming pregnant and having children.

We hope that our research will provide us with a deeper understanding of why people experience fear of harm during pregnancy and how the type and context of physical activity guidance received from healthcare professionals might influence how they exercise during pregnancy.

We’re hoping that we can provide informed insights that enhance physical activity support during pregnancy and reduce the perceived fear of harm, and support positive motivations to be active.

Take part in this research study

We need both pregnant women and qualified midwives to take part in this research study.

What you’ll do

You will join us for a 30 to 45 minute online interview (using Microsoft Teams).

During this, we will ask you questions about your thoughts, feelings and experiences of exercise during pregnancy.

What you’ll get for taking part

On successful completion of the research study, you’ll be entered into a draw to win one of eight £25 Love2Shop vouchers.

Deadline

We're recruiting participants until 1 April 2026.

Eligibility

We need women who are currently pregnant and professional midwives to take part in this study

Pregnant

You must be:

aged 18 or over
pregnant (at any trimester)
able to access and use Microsoft Teams
able to understand and speak English
registered with a GP in the UK

Midwife

You must be:

a research, community or student midwife
providing care in the UK
able to access and use Microsoft Teams

Obstetricians are also invited to take part.

Your data

All data will be treated as confidential. Nobody outside the research team will be able to see your name, contact details, or recording/transcript — you'll be allocated a project code instead. We'll keep all information about you safe and secure.

After the study, we will keep some of the data to check the results. When we write the report, it will be done so in a way that you won't be identifiable.

Ethical approval

This study has been reviewed and approved by the University of Bath Biomedical Research Ethics Council. Reference number: 9548-14924

This study has also received full HRA approval (Liverpool Central REC. IRAS number: 354478)

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Join this research study

Contact us

If you have any questions about this research study, please contact us.