Abstract
Objectives
Exercise is a promising approach to improve the health of pregnant women. However,
data from studies investigating exercise and the quality of life of pregnant women
are inconsistent and, to date, no systematic review on this topic has been published.
The aim of this review was to comprehensively assess the effects of exercise on pregnant
women’s quality of life, and to determine whether exercise positively affects quality
of life in this population.
Study design
Literature was retrieved from electronic databases, namely PubMed, EMBASE, Web of
Science and the Cochrane Library, from inception to 30 October 2018. Clinical trials
published in English evaluating the effects of exercise on pregnant women’s quality
of life were included. The authors assessed the risk of bias in all eligible studies
using the Effective Public Health Practice Project, and used a qualitative synthesis
method to identify the effects of exercise on pregnant women’s quality of life.
Results
Thirteen studies were included. Exercise was divided into the following four modes:
aerobic exercise, resistance exercise, a combination (aerobic and resistance exercises),
and yoga or physical activity. Aerobic and resistance training had a mixed effect
on pregnant women’s quality of life, while the combination of aerobic and resistance
exercises and yoga or physical activity resulted in significant improvements.
Conclusions
This systematic review is the first to suggest that group-based combined exercise
and yoga or physical activity are associated with significant benefits related to
improvements in pregnant women’s quality of life. Furthermore, aerobic or resistance
exercise could potentially improve pregnant women’s quality of life. Therefore, it
is recommended that medical service providers should pay more attention to the importance
of exercise, and develop tailored exercise programmes to promote improvements in pregnant
women’s quality of life.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 26, 2019
Accepted:
March 10,
2019
Received in revised form:
March 4,
2019
Received:
December 29,
2018
Identification
Copyright
© 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
