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Exercise during pregnancy improves maternal health perception: a randomized controlled trial.
Ruben Barakat1, Mireia Pelaez, Rocio Montejo
1Facultad de Ciencias de la Actividad Física y del Deporte - INEF, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain.
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
|March 1, 2011
Summary
Moderate physical activity during pregnancy significantly improved women's perception of their health status. Pregnant women in the exercise group reported better health and experienced less weight gain compared to the control group.
Area of Science:
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Sports Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- Sedentary lifestyles are common among pregnant women.
- Understanding the impact of physical activity on maternal health is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of moderate physical activity throughout pregnancy on maternal health perception.
- To assess the influence of exercise on pregnancy outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Randomized controlled trial involving 80 sedentary pregnant women.
- Participants were assigned to either an exercise group (n=40) or a control group (n=40).
- Maternal health perception and pregnancy outcomes were systematically recorded.
Main Results:
- A significantly higher percentage of women in the exercise group (54.5%) perceived their health status as "very good" compared to the control group (27.3%; P = .03).
- Women in the exercise group exhibited significantly less weight gain (11,885 ± 3146 g) than the control group (13,903 ± 2113 g; P = .03).
Conclusions:
- A moderate physical activity program during all three trimesters of pregnancy enhances maternal perception of health.
- Regular exercise during gestation offers benefits for both maternal well-being and physiological outcomes.
