Background: literature relating physical activity to risk of preterm birth or growth restriction is growing. No study has been carried out on the effect of physical exercise on gestation in Nigerian women.
Objectives: To determine whether antenatal exercise predisposes to preterm delivery.
Methods and Materials: A randomized controlled trial with one test group and one control group involving pregnant women in their 2nd trimester (not less than 20 weeks gestation) recruited from among women attending antenatal clinic at Federal Medical Centre Owerri, South East Nigeria. 105 subjects were initially screened and 95 met the inclusion criteria for the study and were randomized into exercise and control groups. The exercise group participated in a twice weekly exercise programme, each session lasting 45 to 60minutes at moderate intensity of 12 to 14 on a scale of 20 of Borge Scale. Control group did not participate in any exercise programme within the period of study. 70 out of the 95 participants completed the exercise programme and only their data were analyzed
Results: The result showed no increase in the risk of preterm labour and delivery. Duration of Gestation was rather significantly longer in the exercise group compared to the control t (68) = 2.315, p = .026) but there was no post-datism. No significant difference was observed with regards to the wellbeing of babies born to mothers in either group as determined by the Apgar scores at 1min and 5 minutes.
Conclusion: No evidence that moderate intensity exercise started from the 2nd trimester of gestation was associated with adverse changes in the length of gestation. On the contrary, we found that exercise in pregnancy significantly lengthens period of gestation
Key words: .Keywords: Antenatal Exercise, Preterm Labour, Exercise Participation
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