Physical activity in pregnant women in Africa: A systematic review

Earlier studies conducted in Africa have generally generated evidence that women in low income countries have a high physical workload that is sustained during pregnancy. This high physical workload was believed to contribute to the high incidence of low birth weight. However, there are only few published studies on physical activity among pregnant women in low-income countries, and most have been based on questionnaires. This research aims to explore the status of physical activity and factors influencing physical activity in pregnant women in Africa. Pubmed, Scopus and Cinahl databases were searched with no date restrictions using the Mesh terms “pregnancy”, “physical activity”, “exercise” and “Africa”. Articles were independently screened by 2 reviewers. A meta-analysis could not be done due to the heterogeneity of the articles hence a narrative synthesis of evidence was done instead. The results revealed a total of 5 articles from Africa. The major form of physical activity reported was household activities which fall below the recommended intensity during pregnancy. Physical activity tended to decrease as pregnancy progressed. The study thus, low levels of physical activity in pregnancy are prevalent in developing countries as well as in developed countries. However existing published data are too few to generalize to the whole of the African continent household activities. Key words: Pregnancy, exercise, physical activity