Is ACOG guideline helpful for encouraging pregnant women to do exercise during pregnancy? (original) (raw)
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Midwifery, 2009
Objective: to explore pregnant women's exercise patterns across pregnancy, reported reasons for exercising or not exercising, beliefs about the safety of exercise during pregnancy and the association of those beliefs with the amount and intensity of exercise that women participated in. Design: a prospective questionnaire-based approach was implemented over three pregnancy time points 8 weeks apart, with retrospective pre-pregnancy data obtained at the first time point. Setting: participants were mailed questionnaires at 16-23-weeks pregnancy (T1), 24-31-weeks pregnancy (T2), and 32-38-weeks pregnancy (T3). Participants: a total of 158 pregnant women participated. Measurements: at 16-23-weeks pregnancy women completed an Exercise Safety Beliefs Questionnaire in which they described their beliefs about the safety of low to medium exercise, high intensity exercise, gentle exercise, and weight bearing exercise. At T1, T2 and T3 reasons for exercising and not exercising were described, and participants maintained a 1-week exercise diary in which they recorded amount and intensity of physical activity. Physical symptoms experienced over time were also reported. Findings: the amount and intensity of exercise decreased over the course of pregnancy, with main reasons for not exercising including feeling tired or unwell, being too busy, and, particularly in late pregnancy, exercise being uncomfortable. Some women also reported safety concerns. Safety concerns predicted amount and/ or intensity of exercise. Key conclusions: overall, most women had clear beliefs about what forms of exercise were safe or not safe during pregnancy. Women who rated gentle and low to medium exercise as unsafe reported engaging in less intense and fewer minutes of exercise. Implications for practice: information and discussion about ways to exercise safely, enjoyably, and comfortably should be offered to pregnant women by health professionals in early pregnancy, when safety beliefs may impact on women's exercise patterns across pregnancy, and throughout pregnancy since the most appropriate forms of exercise may need to be modified over time.
LEVEL OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DURING PREGNANCY: WOMEN'S PERCEPTION AND ITS MODIFIABLE BARRIERS
Background: Traditionally, pregnant women have been advised to restrict exercise due to concerns for the health of the mother and her fetus, while regular exercise has also been has a role in managing stress, depression and gestational diabetes . An awareness that exercise is important in promoting health and well-being has led to many women wanting to continue exercising during. Method: This cross sectional study carried out among pregnant women who attend King Abdulaziz University hospital as outpatients or inpatients by distributing a questionnaire consist of ( demographic data , perception of physical activities during pregnancy , awareness of physical activities benefits) , 300 accepted to enroll in the study. Result: Sample of 300 pregnant women participated in the study 65.3% of pregnant women were not exercising during pregnancy, 1% relived that they dislike exercise,5.3% of them have work related barriers, 13.3% having no time, 15.4% dined having any kind of motivation, 32% have no knowledge about the benefit of exercise, and 33% have pregnancy related barriers. While 35% were exercising during pregnancy 88.7% of them believe physical activity and exercise during pregnancy will improve their labor and delivery Conclusions: We found that most pregnant women were not physically active during pregnancy ,we recommend the physician and health care provider to motivate them to be more active . More awareness campignes should be held.
Physical Activity Patterns and Factors Related to Exercise during Pregnancy: A Cross Sectional Study
PLOS ONE, 2015
Objective To assess the physical activity levels of pregnant women and to examine the characteristics associated with the practice of exercise and the activities of daily living during pregnancy. Methods For this cross-sectional study, 1,279 women were recruited within 72 hours postpartum. They were interviewed about their socio-demographic data and obstetric history and were administered self-report questionnaires about exercise and daily physical activities during pregnancy. Data on the current pregnancy, labor, delivery, and newborn outcomes were collected from participants' medical records. To analyze factors related to the practice of exercise, we used the student t-test, X², and odds ratio (OR), with a corresponding 95% confident interval (CI), followed by a multiple logistic regression. The significance level was 5%. Results Compared to the pre-pregnancy period, the prevalence of physical activity among participants was lower throughout pregnancy (20.1%) (p = 0.01). Half of the women interrupted practicing physical exercise due to pregnancy. The lowest prevalence of exercise was observed in the first (13.6%) and third trimesters (13.4%). Less than half of women received exercise guidance during prenatal care meetings (47.4%). Walking was the most commonly reported exercise, followed by water aerobics. Factors positively associated with exercise practice were higher educational level (OR= 1.82; CI 95% 1.28-2.60), primiparity (OR=1.49; CI 95% 1.07-2.07), exercising before pregnancy (OR= 6.45; CI 95% 4.64-8.96), and exercise guidance during prenatal care (OR=2.54; CI 95% 1.80-3.57). Mildly intense exercise and domestic activities were most frequently reported among pregnant women. There were no differences in maternal and perinatal outcomes between active and sedentary pregnant women.
Exercise during pregnancy: a practical approach
Current sports medicine reports, 2003
Attitudes toward exercise during pregnancy have changed dramatically over the past 20 years. Recent studies show that, in most cases, exercise is safe for both the mother and fetus during pregnancy, and support the recommendation to initiate or continue exercise in most pregnancies. This report discusses the rationale behind the changes, and offers educational tools that may be employed to initiate behavioral change. We also propose exercise prescriptions for pregnant women who are sedentary, physically active, and competitive athletes. Armed with this information, the practitioner will be better equipped to counsel patients and incorporate a discussion on physical activity into prenatal visits.
Current Women s Health Reviews, 2015
Background: Regular physical activity during pregnancy has a positive effect on the psychophysical condition of the pregnant woman, pregnancy and fetal development, parturition and the postpartum period. However, its level in pregnant women is insufficient in most countries. For an exercise program to be effective it must take into account four training components: intensity, frequency, duration and its content - through a proper selection of the type of exercises and their technique. In this work we aimed to answer the question what information on the contents of prenatal exercises is provided in the current guidelines for exercise during pregnancy in different countries. Methods and Results: We have analyzed 11 documents, that were the official position of national obstetrics, gynecology, or sports medicine institutions from 7 countries. The guidelines provide little information on the contents of prenatal exercise and on the adaptation of sports activities to pregnancy. Conclusio...
Knowledge, attitude, and practice of exercise during pregnancy among antenatal mothers
Introduction: Safe maternity with improved neonatal outcomes is predicated on proper antenatal health care services. Regular exercise is promoted for its overall health benefits. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, recommends that pregnant women can exercise moderately for 30 min on most days of the week. Methodology: A total of 200 antenatal mothers were included in the study, who filled in the questionnaire. The questionnaire comprised of 25 questions (21 on knowledge, 3 on attitude and 1 on practice). For knowledge items categorical responses (yes, I don't know and no) were applied with an item score of '2', '1', '0' respectively for positive knowledge. For attitude and practice the answers were either yes, no. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Results: Response rate was 100%. The age range of the study group was 18-35 years with a mean age of 25 ± 4.51 years. The majority of the study population were Hindus (81%), had undergone primary education (63%) and were homemakers (74%). The total mean knowledge score was 20.53 ± 2.08. 51% felt it was necessary to do exercise during pregnancy. 18% were practicing exercise in pregnancy. Conclusion: The knowledge of our women on exercise during pregnancy was less than average, and their attitude was favorable. However a very few were actually practicing exercise in pregnancy.
Guidelines for Physical Activity during Pregnancy: Comparisons From Around the World
American journal of lifestyle medicine, 2014
Women attain numerous benefits from physical activity during pregnancy. However, due to physical changes that occur during pregnancy, special precautions are also needed. This review summarizes current guidelines for physical activity among pregnant women worldwide. We searched PubMed (MedLINE) for country-specific governmental and clinical guidelines on physical activity during pregnancy through the year 2012. We cross-referenced with articles referring to guidelines, with only the most recent included. An abstraction form was used to extract key details and summarize. In total, 11 guidelines were identified from nine countries (Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Japan, Norway, Spain, United Kingdom, United States). Most guidelines supported moderate intensity physical activity during pregnancy (10/11) and indicated specific frequency (9/11) and duration/time (9/11) recommendations. Most guidelines provided advice on initiating an exercise program during pregnancy (10/11). Six gui...
ACTIVE PREGNANCY: Workshop on Promotion of Physical Activity in Pregnancy for Exercise Professionals
Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare
A one-day workshop on promotion of physical activity in pregnancy for exercise professionals was delivered during 2021, to 137 participants. The main aim of this workshop was to motivate and prepare exercise professionals for promoting physical activity and implementing prenatal exercise programs, in their respective private or public fitness centers or other physical activity settings. Methods: The contents of the workshop were focused on six topics based on the "Pregnancy and Postpartum Exercise Specialist" educational standards by EuropeActive and the "Exercise and Physical Activity during Pregnancy and Postpartum" textbook published by Springer. Participants provided feedback on the effectiveness and satisfaction with the workshop. Results: Overall evaluations from the feedback forms showed that majority of the participants agreed that the workshop achieved its objectives with a major recommendation as to the organization of more short duration workshops, the inclusion of practical sessions, and the separation of the contents addressing the postpartum period. Discussion: The workshop on promotion of physical activity in pregnancy for exercise professionals was successfully organized and the participants are looking forward for future ones.