Physical activity in pregnant women of low socioeconomic level Barranquilla, Colombia in 2023

Abstract

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Introduction: In pregnant women, low levels of physical activity constitute a risk factor for health. Socioeconomic level is a factor that may contribute to the increase in the negative impact of inactive lifestyles during pregnancy. Objective: To identify the level of physical activity of pregnant women of low socioeconomic status and determine the association of different gestational periods with biological, anthropometric factors and active behaviors. Method: An analytical cross-sectional study was carried out on 473 pregnant women from lower strata between May and June 2023. Sociodemographic characteristics, level of physical activity, stages of change in active behaviors and anthropometric assessment were determined. A descriptive analysis was proposed and Chi2 tests were performed to determine the association between the analyzed variables and the ANOVA test to compare means. Results: 71.25% of the women were physically inactive and 80.12% did not walk the minimum number of minutes per week. 44.18% had planned to do physical activity during pregnancy. In the first and second trimester, more inactive women were found compared to the third trimester (p-value <0.05). Conclusions: The majority of pregnant women documented in this article did not meet the minimum recommendations.