Purpose. The aim of the present study was to examine the influence of a program of moderate physical exercise throughout pregnancy on maternal and fetal parameters. Design. The study design was a randomized controlled trial. Setting. The study took place at the Hospital of Fuenlabrada in Madrid, Spain. Sample. Analyzed were 200 pregnant women (31.54 ± 3.86 years), all of whom had uncomplicated and singleton gestation. Of these subjects, 107 were allocated to the exercise group (EG) and 93 to the control group (CG). Intervention. Women from EG participated in a physical conditioning program throughout pregnancy, which included a total of 55- to 60-minute weekly sessions, 3 days per week. Measures. Pregnancy outcomes. Maternal: gestational age, weight gain, type of delivery, blood pressure during pregnancy, gestational diabetes (n/%). Fetal: birth weight, birth size, head circumference, Apgar score, pH of umbilical cord. Analysis. Student's unpaired t-test and χ2 test were used; p values of ≤ .05 indicated statistical significance. Cohen's d was used to determine the effect size. Results. There were significantly more pregnant women in the CG who gained excessive weight during their pregnancies than in the EG group (CG: N = 31, 35.6% versus N = 22, 21.2%; χ2 = 4.95; p =.02). The effect size was small (Phi value =.16). Other pregnancy outcome showed no differences between groups. Conclusion. A regular and moderate physical exercise program throughout pregnancy is not a risk to maternal and fetal well-being, and it helps to control excessive weight gain.
Purpose: The aim of the present study was to examine the influence of a supervised and regular program of aquatic activities throughout gestation on maternal weight gain and birth weight. Design: A randomized clinical trial. Setting: Instituto de Obstetricia, Ginecología y Fertilidad Ghisoni (Buenos Aires, Argentina). Participants: One hundred eleven pregnant women were analyzed (31.6 ± 3.8 years). All women had uncomplicated and singleton pregnancies; 49 were allocated to the exercise group (EG) and 62 to the control group (CG). Intervention: The intervention program consisted of 3 weekly sessions of aerobic and resistance aquatic activities from weeks 10 to 12 until weeks 38 to 39 of gestation. Measures: Maternal weight gain, birth weight, and other maternal and fetal outcomes were obtained by hospital records. Analysis: Student unpaired t test and χ2 test were used; P values ≤.05 indicated statistical significance. Cohen's d was used to determinate the effect size. Results: There was a higher percentage of women with excessive maternal weight gain in the CG (45.2%; n = 28) than in the EG (24.5%; n = 12; odds ratio = 0.39; 95% confidence interval: 0.17-0.89; P = .02). Birth weight and other pregnancy outcomes showed no differences between groups. Conclusion: Three weekly sessions of water activities throughout pregnancy prevents excessive maternal weight gain and preserves birth weight. Trial Registration: The clinicaltrial.gov identifier: NCT 02602106.
Purpose. The aim of the present study was to examine the influence of moderate physical exercise throughout pregnancy on the duration of labor stages. Design. Study was a randomized controlled trial. Setting. The study took place at Hospital Puerta de Hierro and Hospital Severo Ochoa in Madrid, Spain. Subjects. We examined 166 pregnant women (31.6 ± 3.8 years), and all had uncomplicated and singleton gestation. Of these 83 were allocated to the exercise group (EG) and 83 to the control group (CG). Intervention. Women from the EG participated in a physical conditioning program throughout pregnancy, which included 55- to 60-minute sessions, 3 days per week. Measures. Pregnancy outcomes were measured: duration of labor stages, gestational age, weight gain, type of delivery, birth weight, birth size, head circumference, Apgar score, pH of umbilical cord. Analysis. Student's unpaired t-tests and χ2 tests were used; p values of < .05 indicated statistical significance. Cohen's d was used to determine the effect size. Results. Significant differences were found in the duration of the first stage of labor (EG = 389.6 ± 347.64 minutes vs. CG = 515.72 ± 353.36 minutes; p = .02, effect size Cohen's d = .36). The second and third stages did not differ between the study groups. Conclusion. A physical exercise program during pregnancy is associated with a shorter first stage of labor. These results may have important relevance to public health.
Context: Interventions targeting maternal obesity are a healthcare and public health priority. Objective: The objective of this review was to evaluate the adequacy and effectiveness of the methodological designs implemented in dietary intervention trials for obesity in pregnancy. Data Sources: A systematic review of the literature, consistent with PRISMA guidelines, was performed as part of the International Weight Management in Pregnancy collaboration. Study Selection: Thirteen randomized controlled trials, which aimed to modify diet and physical activity in overweight and obese pregnant women, were identified. Data Synthesis: There was significant variability in the content, delivery, and dietary assessment methods of the dietary interventions examined. A number of studies demonstrated improved dietary behavior in response to diet and/or lifestyle interventions. Nine studies reduced gestational weight gain. Conclusion: This review reveals large methodological variability in dietary interventions to control gestational weight gain and improve clinical outcomes in overweight and obese pregnant women. This lack of consensus limits the ability to develop clinical guidelines and apply the evidence in clinical practice. ; National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment UK program ; European Union ; EarlyNutrition ; Tommy's Charity ; Kings Coll London, Womens Hlth Acad Ctr, Sch Med, Diabet & Nutr Sci Div, London, England ; Kings Coll London, Womens Hlth Acad Ctr, Div Womens Hlth, London, England ; Early Life Nutr, Nutricia, Trowbridge, Wilts, England ; Univ London Imperial Coll Sci Technol & Med, Dept Cardiovasc Med, London, England ; Kings Coll London, Sch Med, Diabet & Nutr Sci Div, London, England ; Queen Mary Univ London, Barts & London Sch Med & Dent, Womens Hlth Res Unit & Multidisciplinary Evidence, London, England ; Vrije Univ Amsterdam, Med Ctr, EMGO Inst Hlth & Care Res, Dept Publ & Occupat Hlth, Amsterdam, Netherlands ; Queen Mary Univ London, Barts & London Sch Med & Dent, Womens Hlth Res Unit, London, England ; Univ N Carolina, Sch Nursing, Chapel Hill, NC USA ; Univ Politecn Madrid, Fac Ciencias Actividad Fis & Deporte INEF, Madrid, Spain ; Univ Coll Leuven Limburg, Dept Obstet & Gynaecol, Div Mother & Child, Antwerp, Belgium ; Univ Antwerp, Fac Med & Hlth Sci, B-2020 Antwerp, Belgium ; Univ Estadual Campinas, Sch Med Sci, Dept Obstet & Gynecol, Campinas, Brazil ; Univ Adelaide, Sch Paediat & Reprod Hlth, Robinson Inst, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia ; Katholieke Univ Leuven, Dept Dev & Regenerat, Leuven, Belgium ; Univ Hosp Leuven, Dept Obstet & Gynecol, Leuven, Belgium ; Monash Univ, Sch Publ Hlth, Monash Ctr Hlth Res & Implementat, Melbourne, Vic 3004, Australia ; Norwegian Sch Sport Sci, Dept Sports Med, Oslo, Norway ; Mazandaran Univ, Fac Phys Educ & Sport Sci, Dept Sport Physiol, Babol Sar, Iran ; Oslo Univ Hosp, Dept Obstet & Gynaecol, N-0450 Oslo, Norway ; UKK Inst Hlth Promot Res, Tampere, Finland ; Univ Western Australia, Sch Sport Sci Exercise & Hlth, Perth, WA 6009, Australia ; Univ Modena & Reggio Emilia, Mother Infant Dept, Modena, Italy ; Calif Polytech State Univ San Luis Obispo, Dept Kinesiol, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407 USA ; Sao Paulo Fed Univ Unifesp, Dept Hlth Sci, Phys Therapy Course, Santos, Brazil ; Tech Univ Munich, Klinikum Rechts Isar, Inst Nutr Med, D-80290 Munich, Germany ; Univ Copenhagen, Hvidovre Hosp, Dept Obstet, Copenhagen, Denmark ; Univ Copenhagen, Hvidovre Hosp, Dept Gynecol, Copenhagen, Denmark ; Univ Southern Denmark, Odense Univ Hosp, Dept Obstet & Gynecol, Odense, Denmark ; Sorlandet Hosp, Dept Obstet & Gynecol, Kristiansand, Norway ; Norwegian Univ Sci & Technol, Fac Med, Dept Publ Hlth & Gen Practice, N-7034 Trondheim, Norway ; Univ Copenhagen, Fac Sci, Dept Nutr Exercise & Sports, Copenhagen, Denmark ; Copenhagen Univ Hosp, Nutr Res Unit, Herlev, Denmark ; Natl Matern Hosp, Univ Coll Dublin, Sch Med & Med Sci, UCD Obstet & Gynaecol, Dublin 2, Ireland ; Sao Paulo Fed Univ Unifesp, Dept Hlth Sci, Phys Therapy Course, Santos, Brazil ; EarlyNutrition: 289346 ; Tommy's Charity: 1060508 ; Web of Science
