Table 4.

Inadequate knowledge about exercise

Theme 3: Inadequate knowledge about exercise
Total number of participants responding to text message surveys: 51 women Total number of interviewed participants: 44 women
Sub-theme	Demographics	Gestational age	Weight data	Quote	Source
Think it’s Unsafe	23 yo, black / non-Hispanic, vocational training	34 weeks	BMI 29.8, +42lbs, over	“My mom tells me I need to get exercise, but if I can still walk a lot, it can cause my cervix to dilate, and I shouldn’t want that right now because I’m not full term”	I
	19 yo, white / non-Hispanic, some high school	32 weeks	BMI 20.4, +35lbs, within	“I don’t overexert myself if I don’t wanna put stress on the baby.”	I
	18 yo, white / non-Hispanic, some high school	32 weeks	BMI 18.6, +27lbs, within	“Yes, I’ve never had to workout anyways. I mean I was 107 pounds going into this, so yeah, I don’t think for me to go workout would be such a good idea because I mean she’s already little and then I don’t want to go making anything uncomfortable or nothing.”	I
	19 yo, black / non-Hispanic, high school graduate	33 weeks	BMI 19.4, +27lbs, within	“I think like I said everybody has their limits and I have asthma to begin with so…”	I
Don’t think exercise is necessary	18 yo, white / non-Hispanic, some high school	32 weeks	BMI 18.6, +27lbs, within	“I don’t think I’m obligated to exercise, being pregnant.”	I
	22 yo, mixed / non-Hispanic, high school graduate	33 weeks	BMI 19.2, +13lbs, under	“I don’t think I should be working out and I’m just too lazy to do it, I just never think about working out. I kinda think it’s weird that pregnant women get asked if they work out.”	I
	23 yo, black / non-Hispanic, some college	Postpartum	BMI 45.5, −8lbs, under	“Just try to stay moving around a stuff like that. Don’t lay around all the time, but I’m not gonna say go jog a mile or anything, cause that’s crazy”	I
Don’t know why they should exercise	18 yo, black / non-Hispanic, some high school	26 weeks	BMI 24.0, +13lbs, under	“All I have been doing is walking. I never did exercise so being pregnant makes it hard to want to start”	T
	18 yo, white / non-Hispanic, some high school	32 weeks	BMI 18.6, +27lbs, within	“I feel comfortable not having to get up and worry about exercise cause what am I exercising for to be honest? I mean I don’t know.”	I
Don’t know how to exercise	20 yo, mixed / non-Hispanic, high school graduate	24 weeks	BMI 20.1, +26lbs, within	“Just depends on what kind of exercise! I believe swimming and squats are okay but weight lifting or anything of that nature is not. Running just depends on the person.”	T
	24 yo, black / non-Hispanic, some college	33 weeks	BMI 33.8, +20lbs, within	“But I say me going to work all the time is exercise because I’m constantly moving”	I
	19 yo, mixed / non-Hispanic, high school graduate	33 weeks	BMI 23.4, +39lbs, over	“Hmmm. I don’t really know ‘cause I don’t really talk to people about exercise, but some people tell me that it’s not good. Like you can go walking and stuff, go swimming and stuff, but the other exercise, like lifting weights and ab workout, I don’t think you should be doing that.”	I

+ / − = positive / negative weight gain during pregnancy

T = Text response

I = Interview response

Demographics header = Age (years), race / ethnicity, highest education level obtained

Weight data header = Pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), weight gain during pregnancy, National Academy of Medicine (NAM) classification of weight gain at the end of pregnancy