| dc.description.abstract | Background: Being pregnant is followed by several physiological changes and
pregnancy symptoms, which have the potential to reduce quality of life and well-being
for pregnant women. To date, there is scant knowledge about the effect of regular
exercise in relation to maternal psychological outcomes and common pregnancy
complaints. Hence, the purpose of the present study was to assess the effects of
supervised group exercise on psychological outcomes including well-being, quality of
life, body-image and pregnancy depression, as well as on commonly reported pregnancy
complaints.
Method: This was a single-blind randomized controlled trial. One hundred and five
previously sedentary primiparous women, mean age 30.7 ± 4 years, were randomized to
an exercise group (n=52) or a control group (n=53). The exercise intervention consisted
of twelve weeks of supervised group exercise including cardiovascular and strength
training, performed twice a week for 12 weeks, starting at mean gestation week 17.7
(SD 4.2). Women in the exercise group were also asked to include 30 minutes of selfimposed
physical activity on the remaining weekdays. The control group received usual
pre-natal care and was neither encouraged to nor discouraged from exercising. Outcome
measures were assessed through standardized interviews pre- and post-intervention, and
included psychological variables related to well-being, quality of life, body image and
pregnancy depression, as well as number of women reporting of common pregnancy
complaints.
Results: Significant differences regarding psychological outcomes in favor of the
exercise group were found for fatigue, health satisfaction and negative feelings
(sadness, despair, anxiety or depression). Contrary, the control group reported higher
enjoyment with life. With respect to pregnancy complaints, fewer women in the
exercise group reported nausea/vomiting and numbness/circulation problems, compared
to the control group. Adherence rates showed that it was difficult to motivate sedentary
pregnant women to participate in regular exercise.
Conclusion: Participation in supervised group exercise contributed to improvements in
some variables related to maternal well-being and quality of life, as well as reductions
in two common pregnancy complaints. | no_NO |
