Key result
Prenatal physical activity interventions generally enhanced physical activity levels, reduced gestational weight gain, and alleviated pregnancy-related pain and depression, despite significant heterogeneity across the included studies.
Why the study?
The study aimed to clarify the health benefits of physical activity on the mother and fetus in Saudi women and provide exercise recommendations during pregnancy based on Saudi literature.
Does prenatal physical exercise improve maternal and fetal health outcomes in pregnant women in Saudi Arabia?
Systematic Review
Does prenatal physical exercise improve maternal and fetal health outcomes in pregnant women in Saudi Arabia?
Prenatal physical exercise is associated with improved maternal and fetal health outcomes among pregnant women in Saudi Arabia.
Supports tailored prenatal exercise advice for Saudi women; leaves open need for local RCTs before practice change.
The current study aimed to clarify the health benefits of physical activity on the mother and fetus in the Saudi women population. Besides, it is intended to provide recommendation based on the literature and results of studies from Saudi Arabia for exercise in pregnancy to improve the general health of women in Saudi Arabia. Prenatal physical exercise enhances physical and mental health of pregnant women. It can also reduce the risk of multiple pregnancy-related complications such as; lower back pain, fluid retention and risk of gestational diabetes. All these factors can affect fetal development and life later. Multiple studies showed that prenatal exercise could reduce the risk of fetal macrosomia with no effect on other perinatal or postnatal complications. The study followed the systematic literature review approach where it included multiple medical search Databases using PICOS eligibility criteria up to January 2019. The review was based on the following keywords: pregnancy, gestational, or prenatal) and (physical exercise, exercise, or physical activity. There are only two studies that dealt with physical exercises among Saudi women. The results indicated a relation between prenatal physical exercise on improving or decreasing risks on the mother and child during pregnancy.
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Almalki et al. (2021) conducted a systematic review in Pregnancy. Physical activity and exercise interventions vs. Standard care or no exercise was evaluated on Health benefits including physical activity levels, gestational weight gain, pain, and psychological outcomes. Prenatal physical activity interventions generally enhanced physical activity levels, reduced gestational weight gain, and alleviated pregnancy-related pain and depression, despite significant heterogeneity across the included studies.
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