Physical activity changes among non-Hispanic Black pregnant women.
Jean W Davis, Suzanne Hyer, Rui Xie and 4 others
PMID 35037297WHAT IT FOUND
Self-reported aerobic physical activity fell on average from before pregnancy to mid- and late pregnancy in 161 non-Hispanic Black women, then did not change further from mid- to late pregnancy.
Key findings
01Pre-pregnancy aerobic physical activity scores were significantly higher than mid-pregnancy scores (p = .008) and late-pregnancy scores (p = .01).
02Aerobic physical activity scores did not change significantly between mid-pregnancy and late pregnancy (p = .41).
03Most participants were active before pregnancy (101, 63%), and overall fewer women were active in mid-pregnancy and late pregnancy.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Physical activity was self-reported from memory, and pre-pregnancy activity was recalled at mid-pregnancy. Only 161 of 265 women who were asked physical activity questions provided data at all time points, so people more interested in activity may have been overrepresented. The sample was limited to non-Hispanic Black pregnant women from urban Midwestern US prenatal clinics, so findings may not apply to other Black pregnant women. The study did not use objective activity measures and did not test any intervention, so it cannot show why activity changed or what would help.
Declared interests
The authors reported no known conflicts of interest. The larger study was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the similar mid- and late-pregnancy scores as proof that activity stays adequate through pregnancy; many women were already less active by mid-pregnancy, and the study did not test interventions.