Assessment of Physical Activity Domains During Pregnancy and Their Association With Perinatal Outcomes in Women With Psychiatric Disorders
<b>Background:</b> Pregnant women with psychiatric disorders are vulnerable to mental health decline and obstetric complications. Although physical activity (PA) benefits pregnancy, little is known about how its domains-household, occupational, transport, leisure-manifest in this group and relate to outcomes. This study examined PA patterns across domains and their associations with psychiatric symptom severity and obstetric outcomes. <b>Methods:</b> This cross-sectional subanalysis included 64 pregnant women with psychiatric diagnoses at a public maternity hospital in Brazil. PA was measured using the Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire, diagnosis via SCID-5-CV, and symptom severity with the Clinical Global Impression. Obstetric outcomes came from medical records. Only moderate-to-vigorous PA was analyzed. <b>Results:</b> Most participants (84.6%) met WHO recommendations for weekly PA, mainly through household activities (median: 315 min/week). Leisure, transport, and occupational domains showed minimal activity (median: 0 min/week). Higher household PA was linked to adverse obstetric outcomes (<i>P</i> = 0.009). Leisure-time PA was associated with gestational diabetes (<i>P</i> = 0.003). No significant correlations appeared with psychiatric severity. <b>Conclusion:</b> While overall PA volume met health recommendations, it was predominantly in the domestic sphere. These patterns reflect structural and gender-based vulnerabilities and underscore the importance of context and autonomy in evaluating the health impacts of physical activity during pregnancy in this population.
Authors
- Vanessa Gentil de Oliveira Almeida (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9740-1940)
- F. S. Santos (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5009-7187)
- Juliana Nichterwitz Scherer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9235-0416)
- B.F. Althoff (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-0780-447X)
- Lucas Primo de Carvalho Alves (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4387-224X)
- Luísa Karam de Mattos (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1990-3034)
- Rita Oliveira (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0258-9472)
- Ygor Arzeno Ferrão (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3770-5912)
- M. E. Mellati
Institutions
- Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (BR)
- Hospital Materno-Infantil (ES)
- Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (BR)
- Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (BR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine
- Published
- 2025-11-13
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1177/15598276251398812
- Primary Topic
- Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00