Search

Background: Regular physical activity and exercises play an important role in a healthypregnancy in overweight and obese women. Objective: To investigate the effect of exercise parameters (frequency, duration and intensity) andPhysical Activity (PA) on maternal Gestational Weight Gain (GWG) in overweight and obese pregnantwomen. Methods: PubMed and Cochrane database were used to locate the literature; randomized controlledtrials comparing PA with standard care on combined overweight and obese pregnant women, publishedin English language from January 2011 to March 2020 were selected. PA interventions, includingwalking, aerobic and resistance exercise either alone or in combination compared with standardcare during pregnancy in overweight and obese pregnant women were screened. Mean Difference(MD) with 95% Confidence Interval (CI) between the intervention and standard care forGWG was calculated. Results: Twelve studies with 1667 pregnant women were included. The result showed a statisticallysignificant reduction of GWG in the PA group as compared to the standard care (MD=0.99 kg,P<0.00001 & I2=25%). Overweight and obese pregnant women who performed exercises for theduration of 45-60 minutes/session (MD=1.01 kg, P=0.0008 and I2=61%), a frequency of 3times/week (MD=1.19 kg, P=0.0002 and I2=58%) and light to moderate intensity (MD=1.37 kg,P<0.0001 & I2=62%), reported good weight control during pregnancy as compared with standardcare group. Conclusion: There was a statistically significant reduction in GWG in overweight and obese pregnantwomen. Owing to the promising results shown by exercise intervention and PA in maternalweight control, these interventions should be used as a tool for managing weight gain during pregnancyas routine care.