Physical Activity Pattern and Personal-Social Factors of Mothers During Pregnancy And Infant Birth Weight Based On MET Scale: A Case-Control Study

Abstract

BackgroundLow birth weight is one of the most important public health issues in developing and developed countries and identifying its etiology is important for prevention.ObjectivesConsidering the unknown impact of physical activity on low birth weight, this research was conducted to investigate the relationship between physical activity and low birth weight.Patients and MethodsThis research was conducted using a case-control design. The control group was made of 500 women with normal birth weight infants and the case group included 250 women with low birth weight infants from the selected hospitals in city of Tehran. The information was gathered using a researcher-made questionnaire which was prepared for determining the relationship between mothers’ lifestyle during pregnancy and infants' low birth weight using social determinants of health approach. In this questionnaire, scope of physical activity was investigated in three groups of athletic activities, activities at home and leisure activities. Activity intensity was determined using MET scale and the data were analyzed in SPSS software using independent t-test, Chi-square and logistic regression.ResultsIn the present research, based on the results of multiple logistic regression test, an increase in the time spent on sport activities (OR = 2.20) and home activities (OR =1.44) (P = 0.003) was accompanied by increased chance of giving birth to low birth weight infants; in contrast, one hour increase of leisure activities decreased the probability of low birth weight infants by 0.32 (P = 0.008).ConclusionsAn increase in the time spent on sport and home activities, even after considering other influential factors, was related to low birth weight.

Physical Activity Volumes during Pregnancy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies Assessing the Association with Infant's Birth Weight

“…There were 50 cohort studies and 4 case–control studies. 29 30 31 32 Overall, the studies were of moderate (28 studies, 51.9%) 29 31 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 or good (21 studies, 38.9%) 30 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 methodological quality, while 5 studies (9.2%) were classified as of poor methodological quality. 78 79 80 81 82 Most studies were conducted in a community setting (59.3%) and included low-risk, predominantly Caucasian women.…”

“…Physical activity was mainly assessed with questionnaires (including interviews and diaries), but only 10 studies used a questionnaire specifically validated for pregnancy. 31 32 43 44 59 63 67 72 75 76 Leisure time activity was more often reported than total physical activity. Only eight studies included objective physical activity measures (heart rate monitoring, 36 37 48 use of pedometers, 46 or accelerometers 41 45 48 73 77 ).…”

“…A total of 15 studies (27.8%) reported physical activity as a summary measure for the entire pregnancy. 32 34 35 36 37 42 47 49 54 56 57 60 68 78 81 Numerous studies reported results for more than one trimester, but only eight studies (14.8%) assessed physical activity in each trimester of pregnancy. 30 50 51 58 59 61 64 75 Physical activity was treated as a categorical variable in most studies.…”

Indicadores socioeconómicos de la obesidad materna: un estudio cuanti-cualitativo de una cohorte en México

“…Sobre los indicadores de actividad física durante el embarazo, se identificó una actividad física ligera adjudicada principalmente a labores del hogar. Sobre este particular al igual que los resultados de la cohorte mexicana, se documentó con mujeres embarazadas de Irán, el efecto que tienen la actividad física y distintas variables socioeconómicas en la dieta, el sobrepeso y sobre todo en el desenlace de los embarazos, como puede ser el peso a nacer de los niños 18 . En este mismo sentido, resultados similares se observaron en un estudio con mujeres australianas, destacando el efecto de un bajo estatus socioeconómico con mayor riesgo de desarrollar sobrepeso 2 .…”

Pathways of job style and preterm low birth weight

“…The World Health Organization (WHO) defines a healthy lifestyle as one that is based on known behavioral patterns that are determined by the interaction between personal characteristics in addition to the social, economic, and environmental conditions in which an individual lives ( 20 ). Lifestyle incorporates various dimensions of life within its definition, including job style ( 21 , 22 ), which is the focus of investigation for this study. Some researchers categorize job-related factors into an internal (stress, physical and ergonomic risks, and contact with chemicals) and an external (job security, income, flexible work hours, etc.)…”