Physical Activity Counseling for Pregnant Women
Author Information
Author(s): Minna Aittasalo, Matti Pasanen, Mikael Fogelholm, Tarja I Kinnunen, Katriina Ojala, Riitta Luoto
Primary Institution: The UKK Institute for Health Promotion Research, Tampere, Finland
Hypothesis
Does individual physical activity counseling improve leisure-time physical activity among pregnant and postpartum women?
Conclusion
Counseling encouraged pregnant women to sustain their moderate-intensity leisure-time physical activity and was feasible in routine practices.
Supporting Evidence
- Counseling was found to be feasible in both maternity and child health clinics.
- Pregnant women in the experimental group reported higher satisfaction with counseling compared to the control group.
- No significant differences in adverse events were reported between the experimental and control groups.
Takeaway
This study shows that talking to pregnant women about exercise can help them stay active, but it doesn't seem to help as much after they have the baby.
Methodology
The study involved three clinics providing physical activity counseling and three control clinics, with participants completing questionnaires on their physical activity levels.
Potential Biases
The voluntary sampling of clinics may have led to selection bias, as nurses in the experimental group may have had more favorable attitudes towards counseling.
Limitations
The sample size was small, and the measures used to assess physical activity were not validated for pregnant and postpartum women.
Participant Demographics
132 pregnant and 92 postpartum primiparas, with some differences in BMI and education levels between groups.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.030
Confidence Interval
95% CI: 9 to 87
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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