Effects of non-supervised aerobic exercise on sleep quality and maternal-fetal attachment in pregnant women: A randomized controlled trial

Objectives: This study was designed to evaluate the effect in pregnant women of a non-supervised aerobic exercise intervention on sleep quality and maternal-fetal attachment. Design: Pretest-posttest randomized controlled trial. Setting: Prenatal clinic of a medical center in southern Taiwan. Participants: One hundred and forty eligible, pregnant women were assigned systematically, at a random starting point, to either the experimental group (n = 70) or the control group (n = 70). Intervention: Participants in the experimental group received a 20-minute, low-impact aerobic exercise video on DVD and were instructed to exercise at home at least three times per week for a period of three months. Participants in the control group received routine prenatal care only. Main outcome measures: The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Modified Maternal-Fetal Attachment Scale were used to assess outcome measures before the intervention and at four and 12-weeks post-intervention. Results: The paired-sample t-tests revealed a significant improvement in sleep quality in the experimental group at 4-weeks posttest, which persisted through 12-weeks posttest. In addition, the experimental group reported a significantly higher mean score for maternal-fetal attachment at 4-weeks posttest than the control group. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that performing aerobic exercise ameliorates the decline in sleep quality and improves maternal-fetal attachment in women who are pregnant. These findings may be used to encourage pregnant women to regularly perform low-impact aerobic exercise.