Lifestyle Intervention for Reducing Leg Cramps among Pregnant Women

Abstract

Background: Leg cramps are a common discomfort during pregnancy account 30-50% of pregnant women. Lifestyle intervention help in reducing symptoms and discomfort associated with leg cramps. Aim: Was to study the effectiveness of lifestyle intervention for reducing leg cramps among pregnant women. Research Design: A quasi-experimental design was used. Setting: This study was conducted in Outpatient Clinic at Obstetric and Gynecological Department affiliated at Benha Teaching Hospital. Sampling: A purposive sample of 212 pregnant women having leg cramps and divided into study and control group. Tools: Three tools were used for collecting data; 1) A structured interviewing questionnaire; it includes four parts personal characteristics of studied women, past and current obstetric history, leg cramps history, and studied women's knowledge. 2) Modified Healthy Life Style Assessment Scale. 3) Visual analogue Scale. Results: showed that the mean age in the studied group and control group were 27.06±6.45 & 26.98±7.43 respectively. And secondary education is the education level of the large proportion of both study and control group 49.1% & 57.5% respectively, there was highly significant differences between two groups in all items related to their knowledge p<0.001. Also, there were significant differences between two groups in all items related to nutritional life style, rest and sleep in addition exercise, physical activity and intensity of leg cramps pain(p<0.001). Conclusion: implementation of lifestyle intervention was effective in improving pregnant women's Lifestyle, through improving their knowledge and decreasing the severity and frequency of leg cramps. Recommendation: The nurses should provide all pregnant women at antenatal clinics with a self-care guideline about lifestyle intervention for reducing leg cramps during pregnancy to improve their awareness.