Community Health and Social Innovation (CHASI) Hub

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Postpartum and Phsyical Health research

CHASI has been a part of many projects lead by Dr. Iris Lesser, one of our Faculty Associates. Dr. Lesser's research centers around finding innovative ways for diverse populations to be physically active across the lifespan. She has specifically focused on the psychosocial benefits of physical activity on postpartum women and those affected by cancer.

Below is a collection of work by Dr. Lesser on a range of topics. Several of these projects included collaborations with CHASI's team, and others are included to share a comprehensive repository of Dr. Lesser's work.

Thumbnail of the report cover for Postpartum Physical Activity Workshop Feedback and Community Engagement

Postpartum Physical Activity Workshop Feedback and Community Engagement

This report showcases the feedback from three workshops for new mothers. At the workshops, mothers were introduced to safe physical activities in a welcoming and compassionate space. Key to the workshops was a series of photos and videos, created in collaboration with CHASI, highlighting new mothers demonstrating various exercises and challenging social media trends like “#fitmom” with more typical postpartum bodies.

February 2025

Read Postpartum Physical Activity Workshop Feedback and Community Engagement

 

Cover of an issue of the Journal of Health Psychology

“Take a minute (or 60) to focus on yourself”: Using autophotography to explore postpartum physical a

By Iris A. Lesser, Corliss Bean, and Talia Ritondo

The demands of motherhood have been shown to negatively impact physical activity (PA) engagement. Participants in a larger PA-based study in British Columbia, Canada were invited to participate in this sub study. Forty-eight photos and descriptions were provided by 9 participants with infants 3–7 months of age. Photos depicted challenges with PA, PA self-efficacy, body image and self-compassion in motherhood.

September 2024

Read “Take a minute (or 60) to focus on yourself”: Using autophotography to explore postpartum physical activity experiences and associated psychological constructs

 

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