Fit for Two - A Study of Sedentary Behavior and Physical Activity During Pregnancy

Background In the pilot study sedentary behavior and physical activity were measured in pregnant women using an accelerometer. Methods A total of 32 pregnant women were enrolled in the study; eleven of them were included in the first trimester. The defined wearing periods for the accelerometer in the first, second and third trimester were weeks 9-12, 23-26, and 36-39, respectively. A self-administered survey was carried out after a 7-day measurement. Results The pregnant women were on average 30 years old, 50% were nulliparous, and 68.8% had a high school diploma. The accelerometer was worn on average of 13 hours per day. Sedentary behavior was recorded more than half of the wearing time for all trimesters. The proportion of time spent in moderate-to-vigorous activity was highest at 4.7% in the second trimester, compared to 2.5% in the first and 3.8% in the third. A proportion of women, ranging from 32% in the first, 54% in the second, and 58% in the third trimester did reach the levels of PA recommended by the guidelines. Nulliparous women in the second and third trimester spent twice as much time in moderate-to-vigorous activities compared to multiparous women. Conclusion Pregnant women spent more than half of the monitored day in sedentary behaviors. Half of them did meet the recommendations for physical activity in the second and third trimester. The results show that sedentary behavior and physical activity should be considered more in clinical practice and research to motivate pregnant women to adopt a physically active lifestyle.