Abstract
Objectives:To determine the physical activity patterns among pregnant women at a tertiary care hospital in, Pakistan.Methods:A cross sectional study was conducted through questionnaire for a span of eight months (from 17th July, 2020 till 20th March, 2021) amongst pregnant women visiting Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for ante-natal visit including paramedical staff having 24 to 28 weeks of gestation. With the written consent of participants, the physical activity was assessed by a validated self-reported Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire (PPAQ) having 32 questions to determine the duration; frequency, intensity and type of physical activity during pregnancy. Participants were asked to select the physical activity and time spent on it per day during the current gestational period. From the PPAQ, average weekly energy expenditure in Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET-h-week) was calculated. Demographic data including age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, parity, literacy and working status were recorded.Results:A Total of 229 participants of different ethnicities were enrolled. House hold and care giving type of activities of moderate to light intensity were commonly practiced by our pregnant women. Whereas multi gravida were involved in light physical activities. The Punjabi and Baluchi women mostly took occupational type of physical activities. Working women were physically more active than household women. Around 186 (80%) of the participants had no idea that they should take antenatal exercises during pregnancy.Conclusion:The study concluded that house hold and care giving type activities with moderate to light intensity were commonly carried by pregnant women. Majority of them had no knowledge of antenatal exercise.
Highlights
IntroductionPeople tend to lead a sedentary lifestyle which is a root cause of many significant chronicCorrespondence: June 3, 2021 July 24, 2021 November 15, 2021 December 5, 2021 diseases
Moderate to light intensity physical activities were mostly practiced during pregnancy (Fig.1)
The results showed that the total physical activity score obtained on Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire (PPAQ) was 166.27/week
Summary
People tend to lead a sedentary lifestyle which is a root cause of many significant chronicCorrespondence: June 3, 2021 July 24, 2021 November 15, 2021 December 5, 2021 diseases. People tend to lead a sedentary lifestyle which is a root cause of many significant chronic. According to WHO new Global Action Plan, the physical inactivity will be reduced by 15% worldwide by the year 2030.1 the ongoing incremental physical inactivity indicates that this goal seems challenging. Physical activity is beneficial for everyone, regardless of age, sex, race and ethnicity but it has numerous health benefits for women during pregnancy. Regular physical activity during pregnancy helps control excessive weight gain and reduce risk of developing Gestational Diabetes, Preeclampsia (PE), Hyperlipidemia, and Preterm birth. It has positive effects on the psychological health of pregnant women.[2].
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