Abstract
Objective
Physical activity (PA) has been shown to be impacted during varying stages of life n, stemming from health conditions and/cultural norms. This study was conducted among pregnant women attending clinics in a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan to assess their levels of PA and to identify the barriers and facilitators of PA during pregnancy.
Methods
This was a cross-sectional study among 264 participants who were healthy pregnant women of any gestational age, having a normal pregnancy (without any complications), attending the Gynaecology Outpatient Department (OPD) of a tertiary teaching hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Purposive sampling technique was used to recruit participants after obtaining ethical clearance from the hospital. PA was measured through a validated questionnaire, the Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire (PPAQ).
Results
The results showed that the highest value of PA (Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET)-hours per week) was recorded for household/care-giving activities, while the lowest values were for vigorous activity, sports and occupational activity. Having support from family was the biggest facilitator of PA among pregnant women, followed by presence of household help and support from husbands. Most prominent barriers of PA during pregnancy were mentioned as caution and feeling of lethargy. There was a significant difference (p = 0.001) between the total activity, moderate activity and sedentary activity scores among women in different trimesters of pregnancy.
Conclusions
In this study, the biggest facilitator for being physically active among pregnant women was support from families, house help and partners, while caution and feeling of lethargy were the main barriers.