New campaign to encourage expectant and new mums to stay active

Sport England and The Active Pregnancy Foundation have teamed up to promote their shared mission of encouraging and supporting expectant and new mums to be physically active.

The Active Pregnancy Foundation, set up five years ago, says that only 25% of pregnant women and new mothers achieve the recommended activity levels, with 419,000 pregnant women missing out on the benefits of being active. That’s a huge percentage of the 560,000 births in the UK each year.

Pregnant and post-natal women are often underserved by the sport and physical activity sector – despite the critical role of physical activity in improving maternal and infant health. A growing body of evidence shows that being physically active during pregnancy can reduce the risk of complications such as gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia and post-natal depression by as much as 67%.

Utilising £250,000 of National Lottery funding they are looking to break down the barriers that might prevent women staying physically active during and after pregnancy. The partnership will specifically focus on women living with disabilities, facing mental health challenges, or at risk of long-term health conditions.

We’re proud to partner with The Active Pregnancy Foundation. This partnership will make an enormous impact – not just to individual women’s lives, but to the wider system supporting maternal health and physical activity.

Joanne Cound, Head of investment, Sport England

This initiative is the latest phase of Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign and reflects the fac that the groups who face the greatest barriers to exercise have the most to gain.

The partnership is a game-changer for women's health. It gives us the resources and recognition to reach more women than ever, and unapologetically focus on driving system-wide change where it’s needed most.

Dr Marlize De Vivo, Co-chief executive,  Active Pregnancy Foundation

Find out more HERE

Header image: Anna Stampfli / Unsplash