Physical activity patterns in third trimester of pregnancy – use of pregnancy physical activity questionnaire in Poland

Abstract

Introduction. Adverse pregnancy outcomes are less common among physically active women, and children born to such mothers are less likely to be at risk for macrosomia, obesity and metabolic diseases in the future. Objectives. The aims of the study were to establish physical activity (PA) patterns among pregnant women in the third trimester, and to determine the attitudes of prenatal care providers to maternal PA during pregnancy. Materials and method. The study was conducted in 2017 using surveys from the Polish Pregnancy-related Assessment Monitoring System program (Pol-PrAMS). The study included 3,451 postpartum women. The Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire was used to investigate their PA. This part of Pol-PrAMS study was completed by 2,744 postpartum women who were subjected to statistical analysis. Results. Sedentary or light physical activity comprised 75% of the overall PA in the third trimester of pregnancy (mean values of energy expenditure: 67 and 93.3 MET-h/week, respectively). Household or caregiving activities accounted for almost 50% of all activities and were the most common PA types (mean energy expenditure: 105 MET-h/week). Restriction of PA in pregnancy was reported by over 60% of the women, most often due to concerns over proper foetal development. Over 85% of prenatal care providers either did not address the issue of PA with the future mothers at all, or recommended PA restriction. Conclusions. Sedentary and light-intensity PA are the two predominant types of physical activity in the third trimester. The most energy-consuming tasks involve household and caregiving activities. Restriction of activity was reported by the majority of the respondents. Prenatal care providers either did not address the matter of PA in pregnancy or recommended PA restriction.

The COVID-19 Pandemic and Levels of Physical Activity in the Last Trimester, Life Satisfaction and Perceived Stress in Late Pregnancy and in the Early Puerperium

“…We furthermore noted that in each study group, out of all types of activity, participants spent the most energy on household activities. Similar results were also obtained in other studies [ 30 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 ]. Based on our results of the linear regression analysis, it can be seen that regardless of coexisting factors, pregnant women significantly reduced activities related to movement during the early stage of the pandemic.…”

“…In our study, we showed that women who gave birth in any period of the pandemic spent less energy on total physical activity in the third trimester of pregnancy (prepandemic Me: 170.7, Q1–Q3: 114.1–234.6 MET; COVID 1 group Me: 150.8, Q1–Q3: 103.0–229.5 MET; and COVID 2 group Me: 146.5, Q1–Q3: 95.1–202.6 MET). For comparison, in a study conducted in 2017 which also considered Polish women in the third trimester of pregnancy, the median energy expenditure for total physical activity was 196.9 MET (Q1–Q3: 137.1–268.9 MET) [ 47 ]. In turn, Krzepota el at.…”

Pattern and correlates of physical activity and sedentary behaviours of pregnant women in Ibadan, Nigeria: Findings from Ibadan pregnancy cohort study

“…It is recommended that physical activity be encouraged among pregnant women during antenatal care. Low-intensity physical activity was the study's most common form of physical activity, a finding corroborated by several researchers [34][35][36][37][38] as physical activity usually declines during pregnancy [36,39]. Hence, a light-intensity activity like walking (< 3.0 METs) is better than no activity.…”

Health-Related Behaviors of Pregnant Women Residing in Urban and Rural Areas in Poland

“…The Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test was used to compare groups in relation to physical activity. The detailed methodology of the Pol-PrAMS study and the use of PPAQ has been presented in separate studies [8,9].…”