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Study Finds More Pregnant
Women Need To Get Moving
Most pregnant women in the United
States are not getting enough exercise, the results of a new
study suggest.
Ideally, pregnant women who do not have any medical or obstetric
complications should participate in at least 30 minutes of moderate
physical activity on most days of the week, the same level recommended
for all individuals, according to the American College of Obstetrics
and Gynecology.
"There appears to be a discrepancy between the professional
recommendations for physical activity during pregnancy and what
women have actually been doing," write Dr. Ann M. Petersen and
colleagues at Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri.
The findings suggest that "the message regarding physical activity
during pregnancy is not being heard or is not being perceived
as important by most pregnant women, although research shows
that pregnant women who are physically active are less likely
to gain excessive weight during their pregnancy and less likely
to develop complications, (such as) gestational diabetes and
pregnancy-induced hypertension ," co-author
Dr. Terry L. Leet told Reuters Health.
Few studies have investigated the frequency, duration and type
of activity that women perform while pregnant, and those that
have did not focus on whether the women met the recommended guidelines.
To investigate, the researchers analyzed data collected by telephone
in 1994, 1996, 1998, and 2000 from more than 150,000 women, 6,528
of whom were pregnant. All of the women were between the ages
of 18 and 44 years old.
Nonpregnant women were more likely than pregnant women to meet
the national guidelines for moderate and vigorous activity, the
researchers report in the journal, Medicine & Science in
Sports & Exercise. "Based on our national survey, only one
of every six pregnant women compared to one of every four nonpregnant
women are meeting this recommendation," Leet told Reuters Health.
In 1994, for example, 28 percent of nonpregnant women reported
participating in regular vigorous or moderate physical activity,
compared with 20 percent of pregnant women. In 2000, 27 percent
of nonpregnant women met the guidelines for moderate physical
activity, compared with just 16 percent of pregnant women.
Women who meet the recommended physical activity levels while
pregnant tended to be younger than their counterparts, nonHispanic
white, more educated and unmarried. They were also more likely
to be nonsmokers and to have higher incomes, the researchers
note.
Overall, walking was the most common activity among the women,
reported by 52 percent of pregnant women and 45 percent of nonpregnant
women. Fewer pregnant women than nonpregnant women reported participating
in aerobics or running/jogging, while gardening and swimming
laps were reported by similar percentages of women in both groups.
For each year included in the analysis, however, at least 33
percent of pregnant women reported not participating in any physical
activity. Among nonpregnant women, about 25 percent reported
participating in no physical activity each year.
"Women are either not choosing to be physically active during
their pregnancy because of other demands on their busy lives,
or they are not being encouraged by their obstetricians to be
physically active," Leet speculated. "This is a time for pregnant
women to make healthy choices that will benefit themselves and
their babies."
The study was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
SOURCE: Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, October
2005.
Reference
Source 89
November
21,
2005
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