| 1. |
- Hegaard, Hanne Kristine, et al.
(author)
-
Experiences of physical activity during pregnancy in Danish nulliparous women with a physically active life before pregnancy. A qualitative study
- 2010
-
In: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2393. ; 10
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: National guidelines recommend that healthy pregnant women take 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise a day. Most women reduce the level of physical activity during pregnancy but only a few studies of women's experiences of physical activity during pregnancy exist. The aim of the present study was to elucidate experiences and views of leisure time physical activity during pregnancy in nulliparous women who were physically active prior to their pregnancy. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted by means of personal interviews. Nineteen women, all with a moderate pre-pregnancy level of physical activity but with different levels of physical activity during pregnancy, participated in the study. Content analysis was applied. Results: In the analyses of experiences and views of physical activities during pregnancy, four categories and nine sub-categories were developed: Physical activity as a lifestyle (Habit and Desire to continue), Body awareness (Pregnancy-related discomfort, Having a complicated pregnancy and A growing body), Carefulness (Feelings of worry and Balancing worry and sense of security) and Sense of benefit (Feelings of happiness and Physical well-being). Conclusion: As other studies have also shown, women find that the discomfort and complications associated with pregnancy, the growing body, and a sense of insecurity with physical activity are barriers to maintaining former levels of physical activity. This study adds a new perspective by describing women's perceptions of these barriers and of overcoming them - thus, when pregnant, the majority of the women do not cease to be physically active but continue to be so. Barriers are overcome by applying one's own experience, looking to role models, mirroring the activities of other pregnant women and following the advice of experts (midwives/physiotherapists). Women then continue to be physically active during pregnancy, most often to a lesser extent or in alternative activities, and derive considerable enjoyment and physical well-being from this.
|
|
| 2. |
- Hegaard, Hanne Kristine, et al.
(author)
-
Leisure time physical activity is associated with a reduced risk of preterm delivery.
- 2008
-
In: American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1097-6868 .- 0002-9378. ; 198:2, s. 1-180
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to study the association between the times spent on sports activities and leisure time physical activity in the first and early second trimester of pregnancy and the risk of preterm delivery. STUDY DESIGN: Population-based follow-up study of 5749 healthy pregnant women who delivered in Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark. RESULTS: Women who practiced more than 1 type of sports had a significantly reduced adjusted risk (odds ratio = 0.09 95% CI, 0.01-0.66) of preterm delivery compared with women with no sports activity. Compared with sedentary pregnant women, women engaged in light leisure time physical activity had a 24% nonsignificantly reduced adjusted risk (odds ratio = 0.76, 95% CI, 0.60-1.02) of preterm delivery and those engaged in moderate-to-heavy leisure time activity had a 66% reduced adjusted risk (odds ratio = 0.34, 95% CI, 0.14-0.85). CONCLUSION: Moderate-to-heavy leisure time physical activity during pregnancy is associated with a significantly reduced risk of preterm delivery.
|
|
| 3. |
- Hegaard, Hanne Kristine, et al.
(author)
-
Sports and leisure-time physical activity in pregnancy and birth weight: a population-based study.
- 2009
-
In: Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports. - : Wiley. - 1600-0838 .- 0905-7188.
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We examined the association between sports and other leisure-time physical activities during pregnancy and birth weight of babies born after 37 completed weeks of gestation. All Danish-speaking pregnant women attending routine antenatal care at the Department of Obstetrics, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark, from August 1989 to September 1991 were invited to participate in the study. A total of 4458 healthy women who delivered after 37 completed gestational weeks participated in this study. The associations between sports (0, 1-2, 3+ h/week) or leisure-time physical activity (sedentary, light, and moderate to heavy) and birth weight were examined by linear and logistic regression and adjusted for potential confounding factors such as smoking, parity, schooling, pre-pregnancy body mass index and gestational age. The results showed that pregnant women who practiced sports or were moderate to heavy leisure-time physical active during the early second or the early third trimester gave birth to infants with a similar birth weight as inactive women. The proportion of newborns with a low (<2500 g) or a high birth weight (>/=4500 g) was also unchanged. In conclusion, in this large population-based study, we found no association between sports and leisure-time physical activity and low-birth weight, high-birth weight, or average-birth weight.
|
|
| 4. |
- Hegaard, Hanne Kristine, et al.
(author)
-
The association between leisure time physical activity in the year before pregnancy and pre-eclampsia.
- 2010
-
In: Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1364-6893 .- 0144-3615. ; 30:1, s. 21-24
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In order to investigate the association between leisure time physical activity in the year before pregnancy and pre-eclampsia, stratifying for maternal BMI, a prospective study was carried out from 1996 to 1998. Pregnant women attending their first antenatal care visit, were invited to participate in the study. Inclusion criteria: Danish-speaking, > OR =18 years of age, gestational age <22 weeks, no psychiatric disease, or abuse. The participants (n = 2,793) self-filled a questionnaire at 12-18 gestational weeks. Leisure time physical activity was categorised as sedentary, light and moderate-to-heavy. The results showed that pre-eclampsia occurred in 4.2%, 4.2% and 3.1% of women with sedentary, light and moderate-to-heavy leisure time physical activity, respectively. Although we found a tendency towards a lower risk of pre-eclampsia in women with the highest degree of physical activity during leisure time, especially in overweight women, no significant associations were found. It was concluded that leisure time physical activity the year before pregnancy does not protect against pre-eclampsia.
|
|
