This study aimed to identify the barriers and facilitators of sport participation among new mothers and to explore their lived experiences of engaging in physical activity during the postpartum period. Employing a qualitative design with a descriptive phenomenological approach, the research recruited thirteen new mothers through purposive sampling with maximum variation. Data were collected via in-depth semi‑structured interviews, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven‑step method. The analysis revealed two overarching domains—barriers and facilitators—comprising five thematic categories in each. Key barriers included the burden of maternal and household roles, lack of supportive childcare networks, physical and psychological challenges after childbirth, structural and economic constraints in sport environments, and individual difficulties coupled with social pressures. In contrast, facilitating themes encompassed family support and redistribution of roles, accessible mother‑child‑friendly sport infrastructures, financial support and incentive policies, cultural awareness and shifts in societal attitudes, and mothers’ individual strategies and self‑regulation. The findings indicate that recommending exercise to new mothers, without simultaneously addressing the multilayered individual, familial, social, and structural barriers they face, is unlikely to yield sustainable behavior change. Designing multi‑level interventions at the family, community, and health‑ and sport‑service system levels appears essential for enabling postpartum mothers’ participation in physical activity and enhancing their quality of life.
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ghafouri yazdi, M., Nourmohammadi, M., & Mirdadi, S. (2026). Identifying Barriers and Strategies for Promoting Physical Activity among Postpartum Mothers. Research on Women's Sports, 3(9), 78-99. https://doi.org/10.22089/rws.2026.18927.1104
MLA
ghafouri yazdi, M., Nourmohammadi, M., & Mirdadi, S. "Identifying Barriers and Strategies for Promoting Physical Activity among Postpartum Mothers", Research on Women's Sports, 3, 9, 2026, 78-99. doi: 10.22089/rws.2026.18927.1104
HARVARD
ghafouri yazdi M., Nourmohammadi M., Mirdadi S. (2026). 'Identifying Barriers and Strategies for Promoting Physical Activity among Postpartum Mothers', Research on Women's Sports, 3(9), pp. 78-99. doi: 10.22089/rws.2026.18927.1104
CHICAGO
M. ghafouri yazdi, M. Nourmohammadi & S. Mirdadi, "Identifying Barriers and Strategies for Promoting Physical Activity among Postpartum Mothers," Research on Women's Sports, 3 9 (2026): 78-99, doi: 10.22089/rws.2026.18927.1104
VANCOUVER
ghafouri yazdi M., Nourmohammadi M., Mirdadi S. Identifying Barriers and Strategies for Promoting Physical Activity among Postpartum Mothers. Research on Women's Sports. 2026;3(9):78-99 (In Persian). doi: 10.22089/rws.2026.18927.1104
