What Accounts for Physical Activity during Pregnancy? A Study on the Sociodemographic Predictors of Self-Reported and Objectively Assessed Physical Activity during the 1st and 2nd Trimesters of Pregnancy

Abstract

Physical activity (PA) during pregnancy has positive health implications for both mother and child. However, current literature indicates that not all pregnant women meet the international recommendations for PA (at least 150 min/week of moderate-to-vigorous PA). The main objective of this study was to assess PA levels among pregnant women in the city of Donostia-San Sebastian and identify their main sociodemographic predictors. We recruited 441 women in the 12th week of pregnancy from the local public obstetric health services. Women wore an accelerometer for one week during two separate time points (1st and 2nd trimesters of pregnancy) and completed a questionnaire assessing several sociodemographic variables as well as self-reported PA. With this information, we estimated women’s overall PA levels during both time points. The fulfillment of PA recommendations raised up to 77% and 85% during the first and second trimesters, respectively. We found that a higher number of children and a greater preference for exercise positively predicted light-to-moderate PA, being the most consistent predictors. The availability of a greater number of cars negatively predicted moderate-to-vigorous PA.

Physical activity and exercise during pregnancy in Africa: a review of the literature

“…While there are several studies to guide interventions and the promotion of physical activity and exercise among pregnant women in the USA [3,25,65,70,71], Canada [63,72,73], the United Kingdom [74][75][76] and other countries around the world [26,53,57,61,62,68,[77][78][79][80][81][82][83], which indicate varying degrees of PA participation, and suggest the reasons for both participation and non-participation during pregnancy, scant information exist in Africa. A previous review by Mukona et al [84] identified only two studies conducted in South Africa [56,85], two studies in Nigeria [86,87], and one study in Ethiopia [88].…”

Testing the Multiple Pathways of Residential Greenness to Pregnancy Outcomes Model in a Sample of Pregnant Women in the Metropolitan Area of Donostia-San Sebastián

“…The study of mediator variables reveals that participants experienced low-to-moderate levels of psychological stress and exercised, on average, above the international PA recommendations. With regard to NO 2 , average concentration values in the study area (mean = 46.7 µg/m 3 ; SD = 22.36) were higher than the average annual value in the Basque Country (mean = 22-30µg/m 3 ) [71]. In relation to outcome variables, 9.3, 14.6, 4.8, and 3.3% of the births were categorized as SGA, LGA, LBW, or premature, respectively.…”

“…Around two-thirds of the sample had completed tertiary education (64.60%) and were working at the time of data collection (79.94%). The sociodemographic profile of the study participants and further data on their characteristics can be found elsewhere [71].…”

“…First, MVPA was objectively measured by using an accelerometer as opposed to self-reports, which correlate only moderately to weakly with objective measures [76,77]. Indeed, we have previously shown, using data from this same research project [71], that objectively measured and self-reported MVPA during the first trimester of pregnancy were only moderately correlated (r = 0.44). The reasons for the limited association between both measurement modalities are described in that work.…”

Developing a Physical Activity Intervention Strategy for Pregnant Women in Buffalo City Municipality, South Africa: A Study Protocol

“…Notwithstanding the substantial evidence on the benefits of PA during pregnancy, studies have reported a considerable decline in PA among pregnant women in both developed [47][48][49][50] and developing countries [6,9,10,[51][52][53][54][55], with varying degrees of participation shaped by context-specific paradigms.…”