Domain-specific physical activity and sedentary behavior during pregnancy and postpartum depression risk in the French EDEN and ELFE cohorts

Abstract

The potential beneficial effects of physical activity during pregnancy on postpartum depressive symptoms (PPD) remain inconclusive. Using data from two prospective French birth cohorts, we aimed to examine the relationship between domain-specific physical activity (including leisure-time sedentary behavior) in pregnancy and the occurrence of postpartum depressive symptoms. Participants of the ELFE cohort (N=15538) completed the Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire (PPAQ), which assesses the following physical activity/sedentary behavior domains: household/caregiving, occupational, sports/exercise, transportation and leisure-time sedentary behavior during the third pregnancy trimester. In the EDEN cohort (n = 1745) women completed the Baecke Questionnaire (BQ) measuring occupational, sports/exercise, and leisure-time/locomotive activity during the first trimester of pregnancy. Depressive symptoms in the first postpartum year were measured using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale in both cohorts. Associations of physical activity/sedentary behavior with PPD symptoms were determined by logistic regression analysis, with adjustment on potential confounding factors. In the adjusted models, higher levels of household/ caregiving activities (OR=1.10 (95% CI 1.01-1.19) and leisure-time sedentary behavior (OR= 1.16 (95% CI 1.06-1.23)), in the third pregnancy trimester were associated with an increased odds of PPD. No significant associations were found for physical activity domains during the first pregnancy trimester. Higher levels of household and caregiving activities and leisure time sedentary behavior in the last trimester of pregnancy appear to increase the likelihood of postpartum depression. Purpose and context of physical activity should be taken into account when encouraging physical activity as a strategy to help prevent postpartum mental health problems from pregnancy onwards.

Level of Physical Activity in Pregnant Populations from Different Geographic Regions: A Systematic Review

“…Of a total of 1451 studies that were identified, 836 were screened, and 110 of them were full text assessed for eligibility. A total of 44 studies [ 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 ] were finally analyzed and included for synthesis.…”

“…The median quality score of the studies was 7.12 (range 5 to 9) after removing low-quality studies. With this assessment, 22.73% of the studies were rated as moderate quality (n = 10) [ 40 , 41 , 42 , 52 , 58 , 62 , 64 , 72 , 74 , 75 ], and 77.27% were rated as high quality (n = 34) [ 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 63 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 73 ].…”

“…Lower PA is associated with a lower educational level. Sociodemographic, behavioral and anthropometric variables [ 48 ] Van der Waerden 2019 France 2 cohort studies ELFE EDEN 575 1745 French pregnant women 3T <24–28 wk PPAQ MET h/wk Less PA and sedentary lifestyle seems to be associated with postpartum depression. Sociodemographic, psychosocial and pregnancy variables.…”

mHealth Apps Assessment among Postpartum Women with Obesity and Depression

“…Thus, physical activity helps people to improve their health, especially in reducing weight or achieving a normal BMI level [ 56 ]. As for postpartum depression levels, physical activity has been claimed to be one of the prevention factors [ 57 ].…”

Self‐Report Measures of Physical Activity

“…There are no repositories of the BPAQ to identify all the translations, but the questionnaire has been used internationally in different populations with multiple languages, including Japanese , Dutch , Persian , French , Flemish , Greek , Korean , and Portuguese .…”