HighlightsWalking during pregnancy provides several health benefits to both mother and child.Walking appears resistant to many barriers that impede other physical activity modalities during pregnancy.Walking interventions may increase physical activity behavior among pregnant women.Developing valid methods to measure walking and activity among pregnant women is crucial to increasing their physical activity.Though they are desperately needed, few pregnancy-focused walking initiatives exist.

BACKGROUND Little is known about how leisure time physical activity (LTPA) influences gestational weight gain (GWG) among body mass index (BMI) categories. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between pregnancy LTPA and the proportion of normal, overweight, and obese women who meet GWG recommendations. METHODS Participants included 449 subcohort women from the Pregnancy Outcomes and Community Health (POUCH) Study. LTPA was collapsed into three categories [(None, <7.5 kcal/kg/wk (low), ≥7.5 kcal/kg/wk (recommended)]. GWG was categorized according to IOM recommendations (low, recommended or excess). Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate relationships among LTPA, BMI, and GWG. RESULTS Overweight women were more likely to have high GWG vs. normal weight women (OR=2.3, 95% C.I. 1.3, 4.0). Obese women were more likely to experience low GWG (OR=7.3, 95% C.I. 3.6, 15.1; vs. normal and overweight women) or excess GWG (OR=3.5, 95% C.I. 1.9, 6.5; vs. normal weight women). LTPA did not vary by pre-pregnancy BMI category (p=0.55) and was not related to GWG in any pre-pregnancy BMI category (p=0.78). CONCLUSIONS Regardless of pre-pregnancy BMI, LTPA did not affect a woman’s GWG according to IOM recommendations. Results may be due to LTPA not differing among BMI categories.

Our findings add valuable insights into the patterns of sedentary behaviors among older adults. Concentrated research efforts should be made to gain a clearer understanding of patterns and enablers to sedentary behaviors, which will allow for development of targeted interventions for this high-risk population.

Background: Health care providers should counsel pregnant patients on physical activity and nutrition to improve pregnancy outcomes. However, little is known about provider advice on these lifestyle behaviors among women pregnant with twins, a growing population at high risk for pregnancy complications. We examined the prevalence and content of provider advice on physical activity and nutrition among women pregnant with twins. Methods: A cross-sectional electronic survey was administered to 276 women who delivered twins in the past 3 years and received prenatal care in the United States. The proportion of women reporting provider advice on physical activity and nutrition during prenatal visits (yes/no) was assessed and open-ended questions examined the content of provider advice. Bivariate differences in participant characteristics, stratified by provider advice on physical activity and nutrition (yes/no), were assessed. Responses from open-ended questions were examined using a content analysis approach to identify commonly reported advice on physical activity and nutrition. Results: Approximately 75 and 63% of women reported provider advice on physical activity and nutrition, respectively, during their twin pregnancy. Women who recalled advice on physical activity most commonly reported recommendations to walk at a light to moderate intensity level. However, few women reported physical activity recommendations consistent with current guidelines, and approximately 55% of women reported provider advice to limit or restrict activity during their pregnancy, including bedrest. Nutrition advice was focused on eating a healthy, balanced diet and increasing protein intake. More women reported self-initiating the conversation on physical activity with their provider (40%) compared to nutrition (21%). Despite limited advice, 70% of women reported being satisfied or very satisfied with the information they received from their provider on physical activity or nutrition. Conclusions: The majority of women reported provider advice on physical activity and nutrition during their twin pregnancies. However, advice was limited in detail, and physical activity levels were commonly restricted, despite the lack of evidence that activity restriction is beneficial during pregnancy. More research is needed to determine the optimal physical activity and dietary patterns in twin pregnancies to facilitate clear and consistent provider counseling on these lifestyle behaviors.

A majority of college-aged women are not meeting RT recommendations. Providing educational programs and avenues for finding same-sex RT partners may be most beneficial for overcoming common RT barriers.