Table 2.
Beliefs about Exercise during Postpartum Period, Overall and by Race/Ethnicity and Education
| |
|
Race/ethnicity |
Education, years |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belief statement (Verbatim) | Overall n = 667 % Agree (n) | Non-hispanic white n = 499 % Agree (n) | Non-hispanic black n = 99 % Agree (n) | p value | ≤12 n = 117 % Agree (n) | 13–15 n = 115 % Agree (n) | 16+ n = 435 % Agree (n) | p value |
| At 3 months postpartum, most women can continue or resume their regular exercise routine. | 88.9 (593) | 89.1 (445) | 83.8 (83) | 0.13 | 80.3 (94) | 89.6 (103) | 91.0 (396) | 0.005 |
| At 3 months postpartum, most women who have never exercised can begin an exercise program. | 91.5 (610) | 92.2 (460) | 87.9 (87) | 0.16 | 93.2 (109) | 90.4 (104) | 91.3 (397) | 0.74 |
| At 3 months postpartum, it is ok to increase physical activity or exercise. | 95.2 (635) | 96.4 (481) | 90.9 (90) | 0.02a | 89.7 (105) | 94.8 (109) | 96.8 (421) | 0.007 |
| At 3 months postpartum, physical activity and exercise might make a woman feel more energetic. | 97.9 (653) | 98.8 (493) | 92.9 (92) | 0.002a | 94.0 (110) | 97.4 (112) | 99.1 (431) | 0.003a |
| It is ok to continue regular exercise or physical activity even if a women is still breastfeeding her baby. | 98.5 (654) | 99.2 (494) | 94.9 (93) | 0.008a | 93.9 (107) | 97.4 (112) | 100.0 (435) | <0.0001a |
a
p values are from Fisher's exact test rather than the Pearson chi-square statistic because of small cell sizes.