Acceptability and Feasibility of a Sedentary Behavior Reduction Program during Pregnancy: A Semi-Experimental Study

Physical activity (PA) during pregnancy is associated with maternal benefits. Therefore, innovative strategies that promote PA are needed. This study investigated the acceptability and feasibility of a sedentary behavior (SB) reduction program during pregnancy. The study employed a semi-experimental...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Maiko Kawajiri, Yasuka Nakamura, Mikako Yoshida, Yoko Takeishi, Ai Masaki, Yuki Iwasaki, Satomi Sato, Yuri Kodera, Kazumi Chiba, Toyoko Yoshizawa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-10-01
Series:Healthcare
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/8/4/439
Description
Summary:Physical activity (PA) during pregnancy is associated with maternal benefits. Therefore, innovative strategies that promote PA are needed. This study investigated the acceptability and feasibility of a sedentary behavior (SB) reduction program during pregnancy. The study employed a semi-experimental research design using historical control subjects. The intervention group program consisted of individual face-to-face guidance, automatic alerts during SB from wearable devices, and self-monitoring of SB patterns, from 20 gestation weeks to delivery. PA and SB, assessed using a wearable device, were compared with those of the control group at 24–27 (T1) and 32–35 (T2) weeks of gestation. In 56 women, the mean wearing time was 90.2 days in the intervention phase. The response rate to automatic SB alerts was 55.5% at T1 and 63.0% at T2. Self-monitoring more than twice or thrice a week was 77.8% at T1 and 59.3% at T2. There was no significant difference in the cumulative SB time at T2 between the two groups (F = 2.31, <i>p</i> = 0.132). This program appears to be acceptable and feasible for pregnant women; however, SB reduction effect of the intervention remains unclear. Improvements to increase the response rate to automatic SB alerts and the frequency of self-monitoring are needed.
ISSN:2227-9032