A Physical Activity Intervention for High-Risk Mothers Whose Children Play Sports: Qualitative Analysis of Exit...

Mothers, especially those with low socioeconomic status and minoritized identities, encounter barriers to participating in physical activity (PA), a behavior that improves health outcomes. Moms on the Move (MOMs) is a community-based and theory-informed intervention developed to address the PA barriers endorsed by low-income Black and Hispanic mothers. This intervention offered in-person group PA sessions led by a female fitness instructor and held during children's sports practices. The MOMs intervention was piloted in 2022 and 2023; the intervention in 2023 was longer (8-weeks, vs 6-weeks) and included goal-setting calls and written materials.

This study examined the qualitative data from exit interviews of both pilot studies to explore participants' engagement and satisfaction with the intervention. We also sought to identify perceived benefits and barriers to participation, in addition to recommendations for future interventions.

Exit interviews of 19 participants who had enrolled in at least 1 MOMs pilot study were analyzed with directed content analysis. Interviews were approximately 16 minutes on average. Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) and the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) were incorporated as theoretical frameworks for data coding and analysis.

Around half the participants identified as Black or Hispanic and reported an annual household income of ≤US $40,000. Participants were generally satisfied with the intervention, noting benefits including increased motivation to maintain PA beyond the duration of the intervention. Barriers included scheduling conflicts and inclement weather. Three theory-consistent themes framed participants' evaluation of intervention success: accountability, accessibility, and ability. Accountability referred to support from the in-person group that facilitated motivation. Accessibility was described as the appreciation for resources provided by the intervention, including the provision of exercise equipment. Finally, participants discussed how their shared identity with other participants increased their sense of ability (or self-efficacy) to engage in PA. This was especially true for participants who described little to no engagement in PA prior to the intervention.

To our knowledge, the MOMs intervention is the first of its kind: it delivers an in-person group PA intervention to high-risk mothers and women caregivers of children during their children's sports practices. Findings from this study support the intervention's delivery and integration to improve health behaviors, including PA, among mothers with intersectional and marginalized identities from the perspective of participants.