Influence of a Concurrent Exercise Training Program on Health-Related Quality of Life During Advanced Pregnancy: The GESTAFIT Project

Nuria Marín-Jiménez; Laura Baena-García; Irene Coll-Risco; Marta Flor-Alemany; José Castro-Piñero; Virginia A Aparicio

doi:10.1177/19417381231189730

Influence of a Concurrent Exercise Training Program on Health-Related Quality of Life During Advanced Pregnancy: The GESTAFIT Project

Sports Health. 2023 Jul 31:19417381231189730. doi: 10.1177/19417381231189730. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Nuria Marín-Jiménez^{1

2

3}, Laura Baena-García^{1

4

5}, Irene Coll-Risco^{1

6}, Marta Flor-Alemany^{1

6}, José Castro-Piñero^{2

3}, Virginia A Aparicio^{1

6

7}

Affiliations

¹ Sport and Health University Research Institute (IMUDS), University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
² GALENO Research Group, Department of Physical Education, Faculty of Education Sciences, University of Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain.
³ Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de Cádiz (INiBICA), Cádiz, Spain.
⁴ Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Granada, Ceuta, Spain.
⁵ Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs, Granada, Spain.
⁶ Department of Physiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
⁷ Glzartea, Kirola eta Ariketa Fisikoa Ikerkuntza Taldea (GIKAFIT), Society Sports and Exercise Research Group, Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Education and Sport-Physical Activity and Sport Sciences Section, University of Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Araba/Álava, Basque Country, Spain.

PMID: 37525559
DOI: 10.1177/19417381231189730

Abstract

Background: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) may be altered during pregnancy due to pregnancy-related changes in all domains of women's health.

Hypothesis: A supervised concurrent exercise-training program from the 17th gestational week until birth positively influences HRQoL.

Study design: Randomized controlled trial.

Level of evidence: Level 1.

Methods: Eighty-six pregnant women (age, 33.1 ± 4.6 years; prepregnancy body mass index, 23.5 kg/m²), divided into exercise (n = 41) and control (n = 45) groups, participated in this study (per-protocol basis). The exercise group followed a 60-min, 3 days/week, concurrent (aerobic + resistance) exercise training program. HRQoL was assessed with the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), where higher scores (0-100) indicate better HRQoL.

Results: After adjusting for potential confounders, the exercise group decreased 16.1 points less than the control group in the SF-36 physical functioning domain [between-group differences (B): 95% confidence interval (CI), 9.02 to 23.22; P < 0.01], and 4.5 points less in the SF-36 physical component summary than the control group (between-group differences (B): 95% CI, 0.65 to 8.28; P = 0.02). Intention-to-treat basis analyses depicted similar results, where the exercise group decreased 10.03 points less than the control group the in the SF-36 social functioning domain (between-group differences (B): 95% CI, 0.39 to 19.68; P = 0.04).

Conclusion: A supervised concurrent exercise training program ameliorates HRQoL decreases along gestation. Although HRQoL decreased throughout pregnancy in both groups, this impact was less in the exercise group, especially in the SF-36 physical functioning, the SF-36 social functioning, and the SF-36 physical component summary.

Clinical relevance: Healthcare providers may encourage pregnant women to exercise in this physiological stage for a better HRQoL throughout pregnancy.

Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT02582567; Date of registration: 20/10/2015.

Keywords: Short-Form Health Survey 36; exercise; gestation; health-related quality of life.

Associated data

ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT02582567