Knowledge on Exercise Behaviors During Pregnancy

Introduction: Georgia has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the United States with 16.9 deaths per 100,000 live births. Unfortunately, only 23% to 29% of pregnant women in the U.S meet the requirements for physical activity. The purpose of this study is to assess the knowledge of adults living in the state of Georgia on exercise behavior knowledge during pregnancy. We hypothesize that knowledge on exercise during pregnancy is low among adults in the state of Georgia. Methods: An online survey using Qualtrics XM ®, Seattle WA, USA. was implemented between March 1st and March 23rd of 2022 among adults living in Georgia through social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, personal email contacts). Data was analyzed using IBM-SPSS Version 28. Results: A total of 599 adults were surveyed. Younger adults between 18 to \u3c 21 years of age were associated with significantly lower knowledge scores on pregnancy exercise behaviors relative to older people. Adults who self-identified as neither Black nor\u3eWhite, who were non-Hispanic, and with a High School/Associate’s degree or less, were associated with significantly lower knowledge scores, relative to adults who reported being Black, White, or with higher education and/or Hispanic, respectively. Conclusions: Young adults with lower education from a non-Hispanic background may benefit most from an education intervention