Water aerobics for sedentary pregnant women proved to be safe and was not associated with any alteration in maternal body composition, type of delivery, preterm birth rate, neonatal well-being or weight.

Background: To evaluate the association between water aerobics, maternal cardiovascular capacity during pregnancy, labor and neonatal outcomes.

BackgroundIn Brazil, concern with the quality of life of pregnant women is one of the points emphasized in the Program for the Humanization of Prenatal Care and Childbirth launched in 2000. However, there are few references in the literature on the role of either land or water-based physical exercise on women's quality of life during pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a physical exercise program of water aerobics on the quality of life (QOL) of sedentary pregnant women.MethodsA comparative observational study involving sedentary low-risk pregnant women bearing a single fetus with gestational age less than 20 weeks at the time of admission to the study, who were receiving antenatal care at a public health service. One group of 35 women was given routine antenatal care, while another group of 31 women, in addition to receiving the same routine care as the first group, also participated in three classes of water aerobics per week. QOL was evaluated by applying the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire in both groups at the 20th, 28th and 36th weeks of pregnancy. In the same occasions, women also answered another questionnaire about their experience with pregnancy and antenatal care.ResultsThe great majority of the participants considered that the practice of water aerobics had benefitted them in some way. QOL scores were found to be high in both groups during follow-up. There was no association between the practice of water aerobics and QOL.ConclusionsFurther studies involving larger sample sizes should be conducted in different sociocultural contexts and/or using other instruments to adequately evaluate the QOL of women during pregnancy.

Real-world interventions are fundamental to bridge the research-practice gap in healthy lifestyle promotion. This study aimed to assess the impact of a 7-month, intensive, city-wide intervention (“Life of Health”) on tackling youth inactivity and sedentary behavior in an entire Latin-American city (Jaguariuna, Brazil). For youth, a program focused on tackling inactivity/sedentary behavior was delivered at every school (n = 18). Plausibility assessments (pre-to-post design) were performed with 3,592 youth (out of 8,300 individuals at school age in the city) to test the effectiveness of the intervention. Primary outcomes were physical activity and sedentary behavior. Secondary outcome was BMI z-score. Physical activity did not change (0; 95%CI:-2.7–2.8 min/day; p = 0.976), although physically inactive sub-group increased physical activity levels (11.2; 95%CI:8.8–13.6 min/day; p < 0.001). Weekday television and videogame time decreased, whereas computer time increased. Participants with overweight and obesity decreased BMI z-score (-0.08; 95%CI:-0.11−0.05; p < 0.001; −0.15; 95%CI:-0.19−0.11; p < 0.001). This intervention was not able to change the proportion of physical inactivity and sedentary behavior in youth at a city level. Nonetheless, physically inactive individuals increased PA levels and participants with overweight and obesity experienced a reduction in BMI z-score, evidencing the relevance of the intervention. Education-based lifestyle programs should be supplemented with environmental changes to better tackle inactivity/sedentary behavior in the real-world.

O objetivo desta revisão foi avaliar a inter-relação entre volume do líquido amniótico, atividade física e imersão em água na gestação. Utilizando diferentes combinações desses termos, foram consultadas as bases de dados do MedLine e do Scielo, no período de 1980 a 2005 para a identificação de artigos relevantes ao assunto. O líquido amniótico é fundamental no desenvolvimento dos sistemas músculo-esquelético, gastrointestinal e respiratório fetal. Sua avaliação no passado era imprecisa, mas com o advento da ultra-sonografia, tornou-se fácil e não invasiva. Surgiram técnicas para a aferição do seu volume e curvas de normalidade. Mais recentemente, têm-se tentado diversas técnicas para a correção do seu volume, na tentativa de diminuir a morbidade associada. Um método não invasivo muito utilizado no Brasil é a hiperhidratação materna. Outros autores sugerem medidas como a imersão estática ou com atividade física em água, muito na moda nos dias de hoje. Ainda são poucos os estudos relativos à prática da atividade física na água para gestantes e seus benefícios maternos, fetais e perinatais. A presente revisão visa aprofundar os conhecimentos acerca dos exercícios aeróbicos sob imersão de gestantes em água, no que diz respeito ao volume de líquido amniótico e bem-estar fetal durante a gestação.