Physical activity mHealth tailored to postpartum individuals with lumbopelvic pain

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorHollman, Heather
dc.contributor.supervisorRhodes, Ryan E.
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-17T20:49:06Z
dc.date.available2026-07-17T20:49:06Z
dc.date.issued2026
dc.degree.departmentSchool of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education
dc.degree.levelDoctor of Philosophy PhD
dc.description.abstractBackground: Postpartum moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) is essential for the health of the birth parent, their future pregnancies, and their children. Unfortunately, over 55% of postpartum individuals are not meeting recommended MVPA guidelines and face significant barriers to MVPA participation such as lack of childcare, sleep, and time. Up to 67% of postpartum individuals suffer from lumbopelvic pain (LPP) which can affect their ability to be active. Mobile health applications (mHealth apps) have great potential for promoting MVPA amongst postpartum individuals; however, those currently available lack quality and evidence-based recommendations and have limited effectiveness and engagement. Objectives: To design and develop an evidence-based, acceptable, usable, feasible, scalable, and low-cost MVPA promotion mHealth app tailored to postpartum individuals with LPP. A series of three studies, following the IDEAS (Integrate, Design, Assess, and Share) framework, were conducted to meet this overarching objective. Methods: This proposal consists of six chapters. Chapter 1 provides an introduction with a brief overview of the background literature and dissertation objectives. Chapter 2 provides a more thorough background literature review. Chapter 3 is a systematic review of mediators of postpartum PA behaviour change interventions. Chapter 4 is a cross-sectional study to determine predictors of MVPA intention-PA translation among postpartum individuals. Chapter 5 is a co-design study, in partnership with key knowledge users (i.e., individuals with lived expertise of postpartum LPP and healthcare providers) to tailor a previously existing theory-informed and evidence-based MVPA promotion mHealth app to postpartum individuals with LPP. Chapter 6 is a general discussion to synthesize the findings of the aforementioned three studies and make suggestions for future directions. Significance: The findings of this research program illuminates the unique barriers, needs, and considerations for MVPA and mHealth when intervening with postpartum individuals with LPP. They also inform future large scale trials with the ultimate intents of optimizing health and reducing chronic disease for postpartum individuals themselves, their future pregnancies, and their children.
dc.description.scholarlevelGraduate
dc.identifier.bibliographicCitationHollman, H., Tran, S., Davenport, M. H., Liu, S., Sui, W., Ross, A., Hjartar, E., & Rhodes, R. E. (2025). A systematic review of postpartum physical activity intervention mediators. Health Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0001511
dc.identifier.bibliographicCitationHollman, H., Davenport, M. H., Liu, S., & Rhodes, R. E. (2026). Postpartum physical activity action control – is it impacted by the presence of pregnancy-related lumbopelvic pain? International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 0(0), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197X.2026.2628577
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1828/24107
dc.languageEnglisheng
dc.language.isoen
dc.rightsAvailable to the World Wide Web
dc.subjectpostpartum period
dc.subjectexercise
dc.subjectphysical activity
dc.subjectsystematic review
dc.subjectmediation analysis
dc.subjectbehavior and behavior mechanisms
dc.subjectpelvic girdle pain
dc.subjectlow back pain
dc.subjectintention-behavior gap
dc.subjectknowledge user engagement
dc.subjectco-design
dc.subjectbehavior change intervention
dc.subjectdigital health
dc.subjectmobile health
dc.titlePhysical activity mHealth tailored to postpartum individuals with lumbopelvic pain
dc.typeThesis

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Hollman_Heather_PhD_2026.pdf
Size:
2.97 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.62 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download

Collections

Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD)
 
University of Victoria Libraries

We acknowledge and respect the Lək̓ʷəŋən (Songhees and Esquimalt) Peoples on whose territory the university stands, and the Lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.