Identification of motives and barriers to physical activity of polish young mothers

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the study was to determine the level of physical activity of young mothers living in rural and urban areas and their free time budget. The article also aims to indicate motivating factors and barriers encountered during physical activity. METHODS: A diagnostic survey method, including two survey IPAQ questionnaires – the long version and author’s questionnaire, has been applied in the study. A representative sample consisted of 1064 young mothers who gave birth in 2017. Student T test and discriminate function analysis have been used in statistical analysis. RESULTS: No significant difference appeared between young mothers from rural areas and urban areas in the level of physical activity. At the same time, the authors of the study identified several smaller differences when analyzing particular aspects of physical activity. Young mothers from rural areas more often declared their participation in physical activity to improve their physical condition and reduce pain complaints. On the other hand, young mothers from urban areas emphasized that physical activity helps them to strengthen self-confidence and improve their position in the family. In case of the main barriers to physical activity, both group of respondents pointed to the lack of money and interest in occasional events. CONCLUSIONS: The main conclusion is that more efforts are needed is to strengthen family support and material status of young families. It is also important to eliminate infrastructure barriers, mostly in rural areas and raise awareness on the importance of health education.