eS1252 WCPT Congress 2015 / Physiotherapy 2015; Volume 101, Supplement 1 eS1238–eS1642 Responses were recorded on a Likert scale from 4 (strongly agree) to 1 (strongly disagree). The Exercise barriers scale had four subscales: exercise milieu; time expenditure; phys- ical exertion; and family discouragement. Results: In general the participants, somewhat agreed with most of the exercise barriers items (2-3 score) with a mean of all items of barriers scale of 2.21 ± 0.30. It is evident that the most perceived barrier to exercising was ‘Exercise tires me’ with a mean score of 2.63 ± 0.70; and least agreed barrier was ‘I think people in exercise clothes look funny’ with a score of 1.75 ± 0.78. The highest score of perceived exercise barrier items sub-scales was observed in the physical exertion subscale (2.52 ± 0.72), while the family discourage- ment subscale showed the lowest score (2.1 ± 0.84). Conclusion(s): Physical exhaustion was perceived to be the most significant barrier to engaging in regular exercise whereas family discouragement was perceived to be the least significant barrier to exercising. Considering the modest cul- ture in the UAE, it was interesting to note that wearing exercise clothes was not considered to be significant barrier to exercising. Implications: Findings from the current study will possi- bly assist physiotherapists and other healthcare professionals to design initiatives better suited to the individual needs of the University community (with a population of about 8000 indi- viduals) with the ultimate goal of promoting healthy lifestyle. More education programs to enhance awareness about the positive effects of exercising, together with offering a variety of activities at the existing sports complexes within the Uni- versity and better advertising could attract higher utilization. Strategies to provide exercising breaks to faculty/staff and students could further be explored. Considering the weather conditions which limit outdoor exercising, innovative indoor strategies combining groups of participants with similar inter- ests may further motivate a culture of exercising regularly even after a long workday with the dual benefit of physical activity and social interaction. Keywords: Exercise; Barriers Funding acknowledgements: No funding was received for this study. Ethics approval: Ethical approval was obtained from the Research and Ethics Committee at the University of Sharjah. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.physio.2015.03.1155 Research Report Poster Presentation Number: RR-PO-99-29-Sat Saturday 2 May 2015 12:15 Exhibit halls 401–403 FOOT DYSFUNCTIONS AMONG WOMEN ACROSS VARIOUS TRIMESTERS OF PREGNANCY P. Ramachandra 1 , A. Maiya 1 , A. Kamath 2 , P. Kumar 3 1 School of Allied Health Sciences, Manipal University, Department of Physiotherapy, Manipal, India; 2 Kasturba Medical College & Hospital, Manipal University, Department of Community Medicine, Manipal, India; 3 Kasturba Medical College & Hospital, Manipal University, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Manipal, India Background: Pregnancy triggers a wide range of changes in a woman’s body including weight gain, postural changes, hormonal variations, joint laxity and musculotendinous strength. One of the less investigated but commonly reported problems is related to the foot of a pregnant woman. Even though foot problems seems to be a common problem, there is a dearth of literature regarding the foot dysfunctions reported during pregnancy and hence this study. Purpose: The objective of this study was to identify the common foot dysfunctions associated with pregnancy and to analyse the structural changes in foot across various trimesters. Methods: The protocol of the study received clearance from the Institutional research committee and the ethics com- mittee of Manipal University. A Cohort of 70 primiparae women participated in the study. Pregnant women with an existing flat foot, musculoskeletal disorders of lower limb, fibroid complicating pregnancy, polyhydramnios and mul- tiple pregnancies were excluded. After a written informed consent participants were evaluated during the first, sec- ond and third trimesters of pregnancy. Measurement of foot length, width and truncated navicular height was measured. Ankle proprioception through repositioning error was evalu- ated. A foot dysfunction questionnaire was developed and content validated. This questionnaire was administered to identify the foot dysfunctions reported by the women dur- ing their pregnancy. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to analyze the changes across various trimesters and descrip- tive statistics was used to analyze the frequencies of foot dysfunctions in pregnant women. Results: The structural changes of foot in terms of navic- ular height, foot width and truncated navicular height showed significant changes across the trimesters with a p-value <0.001. The ankle repositioning error also showed signif- icant changes across the various trimesters with a p-value <0.001. The repositioning error of the ankle joint was found to be maximum in the third trimester with a mean error of