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The effects of an exercise programme during pregnancy on health‐related quality of life in pregnant women: a Norwegian randomised controlled trial
Author(s) -
Gustafsson MK,
Stafne SN,
Romundstad PR,
Mørkved S,
Salvesen KÅ,
Helvik AS
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
bjog: an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.157
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1471-0528
pISSN - 1470-0328
DOI - 10.1111/1471-0528.13570
Subject(s) - medicine , pregnancy , norwegian , quality of life (healthcare) , physical therapy , randomized controlled trial , population , psychological intervention , intervention (counseling) , gestational diabetes , gestation , nursing , philosophy , linguistics , genetics , surgery , environmental health , biology
Objective To investigate whether a customised exercise programme influences pregnant women's psychological wellbeing and general health perception reflecting health‐related quality of life ( HRQ oL) in late pregnancy. Design A two‐armed, two‐centred randomised controlled trial. Setting Trondheim and Stavanger University Hospitals, Norway. Population A total of 855 healthy Caucasian pregnant women. Methods The intervention group was offered a 12‐week exercise programme between 20 and 36 weeks of pregnancy. One weekly group session was led by physiotherapists, in addition women were encouraged to follow a home exercise programme at least twice a week. The exercise programme followed standard recommendations and included both aerobic and strength training. The control group received regular antenatal care. Pretests and post‐tests were performed at 18–22 and 32–36 weeks of pregnancy. Main outcome measures In the original study primary outcome was gestational diabetes mellitus, but in this report the primary outcome is HRQ oL. The questionnaire Psychological General Wellbeing Index ( PGWBI ) was used to assess psychological wellbeing and self‐perceived general health before and after the intervention. PGWBI contains six subscales and it is also possible to summarise all items to a global score. Results No association between antenatal exercise programme allocation and PGWBI (global score and subscales) was found. The study population was homogeneous and had high educational level. Conclusions The results indicate that offering women an exercise programme during pregnancy does not seem to influence healthy pregnant women's psychological wellbeing and self‐perceived general health. Further research is needed to investigate the effects of exercise in pregnancy on psychological wellbeing and self‐perceived general health among women from different sociocultural subgroups. Tweetable abstract Exercise in pregnancy does not influence healthy pregnant women's health‐related quality of life.