Physical Activity during Pregnancy: Recommendations and Assessment Tools

Abstract

The literature that supports and recommends the practice of exercise during pregnancy is extensive.However, although a more complete research on ways to evaluate the physical activity performed by pregnant women has been perfomed, it is found that there is no gold standard and that the articles in the area are inconclusive. Thus, the objective of the present article is to review relevant aspects, such as, technique and applicability of the different methods for the assessment of physical activity during pregnancy to provide more reliable and safe information for health professionals to encourage their pregnant patients to engage in the practice of physical activity. This review concluded that all tools for the analysis of physical activity have limitations. Thus, it is necessary to establish the objectives of evaluation in an appropriate manner, as well as to determine their viability and costeffectiveness for the population under study. Palavras-chave ResumoA literatura que apoia e recomenda a prática do exercício durante a gravidez é extensa. Apesar disso, embora tenha sido feita uma pesquisa mais completa sobre as formas de avaliar a atividade física realizada por mulheres grávidas, verifica-se que não há padrão ouro, e que os artigos na área são inconclusivos. Assim, o objetivo do presente artigo é revisar aspectos relevantes, como a técnica e a aplicabilidade dos diferentes métodos de avaliação da atividade física durante a gestação, a fim de fornecer aos profissionais de saúde informações mais confiáveis e seguras para encorajar as pacientes grávidas à prática de atividade física. Esta revisão concluiu que todas as ferramentas para a análise da atividade física têm limitações. Assim, é necessário estabelecer os objetivos da avaliação de forma adequada, bem como determinar a sua viabilidade e custoefetividade para a população em estudo.

Pregnancy Induces an Earlier Chronotype in Both Mice and Women

“…It is intriguing that we find similar phenotypes monitoring wrist actigraphy in women and wheel running in mice. Suppression of general activity during pregnancy has been reported in women using questionnaires, pedometry, and actigraphy (Shima, 1990; Sternfeld, 1997; Lindseth and Vari, 2005; Cioffi et al, 2010; Harrison et al, 2011; Nascimento et al, 2015; Oliveira et al, 2017) and in mice using general activity and wheel running (Richards, 1966; Terada, 1974; Albers et al, 1981; Rosenwasser et al, 1987; Scribner and Wynne-Edwards, 1994; Ducsay, 1996). We conclude that noninvasive methods such as actigraphy can be used to study how chronotype disruption, including shift work, might affect reproductive and delivery outcomes.…”

‘The newest vital sign among pregnant women attending women wellness and research Centre in Qatar: a cross-sectional study’

“…Finally, pregnant women who perform a physical activity more than twice a week for more than 20 min were considered fit (index two). To sum up, three categorical variables were calculated based on physical activity index score: Index 2(Fit), Index 1 (Active), and Index 0 (Not fit) (see Supplementary file 2) [32].…”

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

“…Regular physical activity (PA) is beneficial for health at all life stages [1][2][3]. Many studies, including several reviews and meta-analyses, have confirmed physical and emotional benefits during pregnancy [3][4][5][6][7][8], while the risks are scarce [9]. PA helps to avoid excessive weight gain during pregnancy, which additionally decreases the risks of comorbidities, such as gestational diabetes [3,[10][11][12], macrosomia [7,13], preeclampsia [8,14], and assisted or caesarean delivery [15][16][17].…”