Exercise during pregnancy in Malta : mothers’ knowledge, attitude and practice

Abstract

Physical activity during pregnancy provides health benefits to mothers, including improvement of body image satisfaction (Boscaglia et al 2003), reduction in lower back pain (Garshasbi & Faghih Zadeh 2005), prevention of excessive weight gain (Lamina & Agbanusi 2013) and a reduction in the rate of assisted vaginal births and caesarean sections (Barakat et al 2012). The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) (2020) suggests that women with uncomplicated pregnancies should undertake at least 20–30 minutes a day of moderate exercise on most, or all, days of the week. Nonetheless, a significant number of women do not take any form of exercise during pregnancy (Sujindra et al 2015, Wijesiriwardana & Gunawardena 2016). As a result, numerous expectant mothers are missing out on the health benefits of regular exercise. Pregnancy can be viewed as a teaching and learning opportunity during which the increased frequency of health care can help expectant mothers to be motivated to alter their daily habits to reduce complications for them and their babies (Smith et al 2013). Health care professionals, especially midwives, should be aware of the existing knowledge, barriers, enablers, attitudes and practices of physical activity amongst expectant mothers. This will enable them to educate women about the benefits of prenatal exercise and promote healthier lifestyle behaviours.