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Community‐based postpartum exercise program
Author(s) -
Ko YiLi,
Yang ChiLi,
Fang ChinLung,
Lee MeiYing,
Lin PiChu
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of clinical nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.94
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1365-2702
pISSN - 0962-1067
DOI - 10.1111/jocn.12117
Subject(s) - medicine , physical therapy , postpartum period , depression (economics) , quality of life (healthcare) , pregnancy , nursing , genetics , biology , economics , macroeconomics
Aims and objectives To evaluate the effectiveness of an exercise programme for postpartum women to lose weight and relieve fatigue and depression. Background The optimal period for weight loss is six months postpartum. However, most women cannot return to their pre‐pregnancy fitness level within that period of time. Design A quasi‐experimental one‐group pretest–post‐test design was carried out. Methods A convenience sampling method was used to recruit 28 women at 2–6 months postpartum. The ‘ Y oga and P ilates E xercise P rogramme for P ostpartum W oman’ was designed for this study and was delivered in group sessions once a week for three months (12 times total) for 60 minutes each time by a professional coach. Of the participants, 23 completed the entire program. The participants' body composition and levels of depression and fatigue were measured before and after the programme to identify differences. Results Women in the high‐score group showed a significant decrease of 6·71 ± 5·71 points ( t = 3·113, p = 0·021) in the depression score after participating in the exercise programme. No significant difference was found for the level of fatigue before and after the exercise programme ( p > 0·05). Significant reductions in the participants' body weight, body fat percentage, fat mass and basic metabolic rate were observed after the exercise programme ( p < 0·001). Conclusions These physical activities benefited the physical and mental health of postpartum women and enhanced their quality of life. Relevance to clinical practice It is worthwhile promoting a yoga and P ilates exercise programme for postpartum women in communities.