An examination whether physical activity during pregnancy is related to anxiety and labor : a longitudinal study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine whether physical activity is related to anxiety and duration of labor. Subjects included 28 primiparas with normal pregnancies and 20 subjects who gave birth vaginally after the 37th week of pregnancy. Subjects continuously were activity monitors starting 20th week until the day before delivery to measure the amount of physical activity they undertook. Anxiety was measured three times in pregnancy with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). We identified regression analysis resulted in the following regression equation : number of steps=8,719.73-55.76×number of weeks pregnant (normal delivery). A moderate negative correlation was observed between mid-level physical activity during the third trimester and STAI scores. Multiple linear regression analysis with the duration of labor resulted in the following equation : Duration of labor=693.43+69.97×weight gain-7.24×ratio of the number of steps in the third trimester and number of steps in the second trimester This study clarified that the number of steps from the second trimester onward decreases with increasing duration of pregnancy and that the rate of reduction in the amount of physical activity as the pregnancy progresses and weight gain influenced on labor.