Exercise or education for mental health during pregnancy?
Does Physical Exercise Help Maintain Mental Health During Pregnancy? A Comparison of Changes in Mental Health in Participants of Physical Exercise Classes and Childbirth Classes
Title | Does Physical Exercise Help Maintain Mental Health During Pregnancy? A Comparison of Changes in Mental Health in Participants of Physical Exercise Classes and Childbirth Classes |
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Authors | Guszkowska, et al. |
Journal | Journal of Physical Activity and Health |
Impact Factor | 2.09 |
Web Link | Click here |
Year | 2015 |
Why they did it?
Research has identified that regular physical activity during pregnancy has many health benefits including, improved cardiometabolic health and reduced body fat gain. Despite this, a US study showed that only 16% of pregnant women meet the recommended 30 minutes a day of moderate-intensity physical activity (1). An emerging area of interest is the effect physical activity has on mental health during pregnancy. At present, research has shown mixed results on outcomes such as symptoms of depression and anxiety. Does physical activity during pregnancy have protective effects on depression and anxiety? Or are more traditional instructional classes on childbirth, such as education and social support more effective? The aim of this intervention was to answer some these important questions.
How they did it?
In this 8-week experimental study, 109 healthy women were recruited to commence the trial between weeks 10-20 of their first pregnancy. Participants were allowed to choose one of two groups: (i) Physical activity group (n=62) who did general Pilates, yoga, muscle strength and elasticity exercises, or (ii) Educational group (n=47) who were provided with education about pregnancy, labour and infant development. Both classes were twice a week, with each session being 1 hour in length. Validated questionnaires which examined symptoms of anxiety, depression and other markers of mental health were administered pre-and-post intervention to each group.
What they found?
Overall, compared to the educational group, the exercise group experienced less symptoms of anxiety and depression during the study. Given that both groups had the same dose of social contact, it was suggested that the exercise provided mental health-enhancing qualities that were above that of the educational group. The authors hypothesize that physiological consequences of exercise may have assisted with coping skills, reduced stress and increase relaxation among the exercise group. However, a limitation in the study design was was that they did not randomly allocate participations. It is likely that women who were already active chose to be in the exercise group.
Ok, what does this mean to me?
The limitations of this study were the short study duration, non-random allocation and the involvement of a high income and well high educated sample. Therefore, this makes it difficult to generalise the studies main findings to all pregnant women. Nevertheless, this study showed that regular physical activity may be related to a decrease risk of mental health disorders. Fitness trainers should make pregnant clients aware of the many positive health outcomes associated with physical activity during this key phase of their life and prescribe appropriate exercise to this population group.
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