A study of physical activity levels of pregnant women using the Polish version of Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire (PPAQ-PL)

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to determine the optimal level of physical activity during pregnancy and discuss whether and to what extent biological, social and demographic variables affect the level of total physical activity in studied women. Material and methods: The respondents were 267 pregnant women from Poland aged 28.16 +/- 4.67 years. The majority of women under study had a higher and a secondary education and lived in villages near Poznan, i.e. a large urban agglomeration in Poland. Most of the women were in the first or second pregnancies, at the mean gestational age of 24th week. The study used the Polish version of PPAQ questionnaire to determine the weekly energy expenditure (MET hour/week-1) (Krzepota, Sadowska 2017). The respondents self-assessed their physical activity levels by filling in a questionnaire consisting of 33 items grouped into the following activity categories: household/caregiving (15 items), occupational (5 items), sports/exercises (7-9 items), transportation (3 items), and inactivity (3 items). Results: Pregnant women prefer physical exercises of low and moderate intensity. The test results indicated a significant impact of variables such as age, trimester of pregnancy, and number (sequence) of pregnancies on the women's physical activity. Conclusions: The results of the present study confirm that actions propagating active lifestyles among pregnant women are necessary. It also appears that the recommendations of the Polish Society of Gynecologists and Obstetricians regarding the physical activity of pregnant and postnatal women require adjustments and improvements.