“Already tired – do I need to be more tired?!” Eliciting the modal salient exercise beliefs of pregnant women in East Kent (United Kingdom).

Objective: The theory of planned behaviour (TPB) posits that the cognitive foundation for behaviour is rooted in three subjective probabilities: (1) behavioural, (2) normative, and (3) control beliefs. The purpose of this study was therefore to conduct an elicitation study to determine the modal salient exercise beliefs held by pregnant women in East Kent.

Design: Consistent with TPB guidelines, participants (n = 18) were asked to describe their beliefs using open-ended questions. Method: A modal set of beliefs were compiled following content analyses. Specifically, beliefs were selected based on their frequency of emission until 75% of all responses listed were accounted for.

Results: The main advantages of exercise during pregnancy were keeping fit and being healthy whilst fatigue was the main disadvantage. Expectant mothers believed that health professionals in particular would approve of them exercising during their pregnancy. The primary normative referents identified were those who already enjoy an active lifestyle whilst those with health issues were least likely to be physically active. Accessibility of suitable exercise opportunities and having time available were two of the main factors that would make it easy or enable women to exercise during their pregnancy. Conversely, health issues, not having enough time and fatigue were identified as factors that would hinder participation. Conclusion: Elicitation studies provide valuable information regarding people’s beliefs about a particular behaviour. Such insight has important implications for behavioural interventions as it allows researchers and practitioners to tailor interventions to meet the specific needs of the population under investigation.