Exercise among pregnant females in maternity and children hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 2019

Abstract

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence and explore factors of adequate physical activity among pregnant women in maternal care. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted in healthy pregnant women visiting the antenatal clinics of the Maternity & Children's Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A structured questionnaire was administered face to face to collect the following: 1) sociodemographic and obstetrical data; 2) the Arabic version of the Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire (PPAQ) developed by Lisa Chasan-Taber; and 3) barriers to exercise. The PPAQ enabled calculating average weekly energy expenditures in various activities, in metabolic equivalent (MET-h/week) and determining two levels of physical activity (active versus inactive). Results: Two hundred and five pregnant women were included: 49.3% were multiparous (gravida >2) and 55.6% declared exercising before pregnancy. The median overall energy expenditure was 108.0 MET-h/week, and household/caregiving activities accounted for the most important share (median = 45.7 MET-h/week), followed by transportation (12.6 MET-h/week). Of the total, 45.9% met the WHO criteria of adequate physical activity. There was no statistically significant difference between physically active and inactive participants across demographic factors. The most common barriers to being active were lack of energy, fatigue, or drowsiness (70.2%), lack of education by doctors (68.3%), and inconvenient weather (62.0%). Conclusion: Women in Saudi Arabia have decline in physical activity during pregnancy, and less than 50% maintain a level of exercise that enables beneficial effects on their overall health and pregnancy outcome. Health authorities and decision makers should consider implementing a national strategy and guidelines for the promotion of physical activity during pregnancy.

Barriers to physical activity in pregnant women living in Iran and its predictors: a cross sectional study

“…Among environmental factors, the majority of women cited the lack of adequate facilities for PA and air pollution as barriers to PA. These results emulate those of previous studies elsewhere [ 2 , 34 ]. Indeed, access to facilities is one of the most important environmental factors of PA behavior in different communities [ 46 ].…”

“…Many participants also stated that pregnancy was a time to rest, rather than engage in PA. Previous studies conducted elsewhere have reported similar pregnancy-related intrapersonal barriers to PA such as drowsiness and fatigue, nausea and vomiting, and movement limitations due to weight gain [ 17 , 20 , 31 – 34 ]. Similarly, feelings of anxiety and fear of injury have been cited in several other studies as additional barriers to PA in pregnancy [ 17 , 19 , 35 , 36 ].…”

Evidence‐based trends and association between symptom disturbance and physical activity among pregnant women: A longitudinal study

“…However, a cohort study by Mitro et al (2022) examining 2778 pregnant women found that total PA declined nonlinearly over time, and the magnitude and shape of the decline varied according to activity type. Previous studies have also found that few women achieve the level of PA recommended by ACOG guidelines (Aljehani et al, 2021; Davis et al, 2022; Miranda et al, 2022).…”

UAE Women’s Knowledge and Attitudes towards Physical Activity during Pregnancy

“…The majority of women are aware that exercise and physical activity is encouraged during pregnancy, and yet despite this most do not partake in or actively avoid physical activity whilst pregnant. Several studies have shown that despite being aware of the benefits of exercise, most women lack information or confidence in their knowledge about the risks associated with physical inactivity during pregnancy [6][7][8][9][10][11].…”