Background: Cancer survivorship is associated with co‐morbidities including anxiety, depression and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Rehabilitative care post‐treatment is vital for survivors' psychological and physical well‐being. The present study aimed to investigate breast cancer survivors' attitudes towards their health post‐treatment; their awareness of co‐morbidities associated with treatment; and their awareness of support systems available.Methods: A qualitative research approach was employed, using semi‐structured interviews with breast cancer survivors from the UK and Ireland. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Eight breast cancer survivors were recruited through purposive sampling.Results: Two themes emerged from the data: (1) health and rehabilitation post‐treatment, which included mental and physical health and a desire to control one's own health in survivorship as well as a discussion around co‐morbidities, and (2) access to support services in survivorship, which highlighted both positive and negative experiences of accessing support, as well as reasons for not accessing support in survivorship.Conclusions: Access to rehabilitation support, including diet, exercise and stress management, is key to survivorship. Rehabilitation and support services need to be more readily available for survivors to aid them in this journey and to educate them on the increased risk of conditions such as CVD with cancer treatment. Utilising current cardiac rehabilitation models could be a solution to provide a holistic cancer rehabilitation, thus providing the lifelong support that cancer survivors both want and need.

Prolonged sedentary behaviour is associated with poor health. Office-based workers spend much of the working day sitting. Sit-stand desks have become a popular intervention, but real-life experiences of the value of sit-stand desks remain relatively unexplored outside of research-led interventions. A qualitative study was therefore undertaken to explore real-life experiences, including perceived barriers, and facilitators of using sit-stand desks. Six focus-group interviews were undertaken with a total of 34 desk-based employees in North-West England. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Three main themes emerged: The Sedentary Office, Motivators, and The Active Office. The Sedentary Office highlighted participants’ frustration with an increasingly sedentary office environment. Motivators to reducing sitting time were knowledge of the health consequences of prolonged sitting, previous (ill) health, and the potential benefits expected. The Active Office highlighted the importance of control, choice, enhanced interaction with colleagues, and the benefits associated with moving more and enhancing an overall sense of workplace wellbeing. Perceived benefits, facilitators, and barriers - experienced and observed – from sit-stand desk use in the real world were examined, thus contributing to important discussions of transferability. Overall, the study shed light on the perceived facilitators, benefits, and drawbacks of sit-stand desk work whilst also giving evidence of the real-world acceptability and research translation of sit-stand desk use. Future research should examine this in multiple contexts and should explore implications of an increasing prevalence in home working.

Individuals who were active before and during pregnancy face significant barriers to return postpartum, and participation in exercise and sport often decreases significantly during this period. Evidence is beginning to emerge regarding elite athletes' experiences with returning to sport postpartum. Understanding the experiences of recreational participants is essential to improve wider participation postpartum. This qualitative study aimed to describe the experiences of those returning to recreational exercise or sport postpartum, and to identify actions to support such a return. 14 mothers from the UK and Ireland, participated in one-to-one interviews. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using contemporary reflexive thematic analysis. Six themes were generated: (1) The challenging transition to motherhood, (2) Regaining, reclaiming and role modelling: motivators for returning, (3) Changed bodies and reframed minds: the experience and benefits of returning, (4) The mental load: adaptation, priorities, judgement and guilt, (5) Lack of appropriate knowledge and professional support and (6) Support, environment, culture and provision. Participants gave detailed accounts of the experience of returning to recreational exercise or sport postpartum. A list of actionable steps to support the return to recreational exercise and sport postpartum was generated from the data. These include the training of relevant professionals, the delivery of guidance during antenatal and postpartum care, the provision of opportunities to return postpartum and the embedding of policy to support such a return. The study provides actionable recommendations and future research directions to support postpartum mothers in resuming recreational exercise and sport.

Physical activity (PA) during pregnancy provides maternal and foetal health benefits such as improving mental wellbeing, cardiometabolic and delivery outcomes. However, little is known about pregnant and postpartum individuals’ PA knowledge or guidance and support received during maternity care on the island of Ireland. This study aimed to assess knowledge of PA guidelines and explore experiences of receiving PA guidance and support during maternity care. Pregnant (≥ 8 weeks gestation, post-initial maternity appointment) or postpartum (birthed and received maternity care within three years previous) adults who received antenatal care on the island of Ireland completed an online survey. Descriptive analysis and frequencies were performed with the principles of thematic analysis applied to the concluding open-text question. Of the 430 women surveyed only 7% (n = 30) correctly stated the PA guidelines for pregnancy and postpartum. 28% (n = 120) received PA advice from a healthcare practitioner (HCP) during maternity care. Overall, few felt timely (24%, n = 103) or clear and easy to follow (25%, n = 107) advice was received. 22% (n = 96) felt confident in the advice received and only 17% (n = 74) felt supported to engage in PA. Two themes and seven subthemes relating to women’s experiences of PA guidance and support during pregnancy and future needs were generated. Using study findings, five actionable steps were created. 93% of women surveyed could not accurately state the PA guidelines for pregnancy and postpartum. Largely, maternity care delivered on the island of Ireland does not include PA guidance or support. Recommendations are proposed to improve PA guidance and support provided during pregnancy and following childbirth on the island of Ireland.

Physical activity guidance and support for pregnant and postpartum populations across the island of Ireland (Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland) could be strengthened to better reflect international progress in this area. While Northern Ireland can align with UK guidelines and benefit from initiatives established in mainland UK, the Republic of Ireland has yet to develop updated recommendations or equivalent programmes. Although many pregnant and postpartum individuals know the benefits of physical activity, a significant gap remains in the support they receive to engage in it. While research in this area is emerging in mainland UK, comparable evidence remains limited across the island of Ireland. This underscores the need for policy reforms to embed physical activity guidance into routine maternity care. Eight actionable steps are proposed to address these gaps, with a focus on supporting the timely publication of physical activity guidelines specific to the Republic of Ireland for pregnancy and following childbirth, introducing specialised roles, accredited training and governance structures. These measures aim to empower individuals and professionals, ensuring effective delivery of physical activity support during these critical life stages. By prioritising these changes, the island of Ireland can enhance health outcomes for pregnant and postpartum populations, fostering long-term benefits for maternal and child health.

Interest in co-production within sport, exercise, and health sciences has grown in recent years. The use of this approach, however, is not without challenges. In this article, we share reflections on a co-produced project that sought to establish research priorities for women in physical activity, sport, and exercise on the island of Ireland. More specifically, we analyzed reflections from 17 public contributors—known as the Research Collective—and an interdisciplinary research team of 10 academics who collaborated to develop a survey, distributed nationally, to establish the research priorities. Our reflections highlighted persistent tensions between our ability to deliver our intended co-production approach while operating within structural constraints, including limited funding, institutional bureaucracy, and a short funding timeframe. We also identified challenges with relationship building and diversity, such as sustaining engagement beyond the project timeframe and ensuring representation of marginalized sub-groups. For the research team, these tensions and the need to compromise our approach carried an emotional weight that both shaped and was shaped by the (re)negotiation of power with the Research Collective. To support the advancement of co-production practice, we conclude by offering recommendations for researchers based on our learnings from this project.