The relationship between physical activity and anxiety levels in pregnant women

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the physical activity levels and anxiety levels of pregnant women at different pregnancy periods and to evaluate the relationship between physical activity and anxiety. Materials and Methods: Our study was conducted with 150 participants at the Gynaecology and Obstetrics Polyclinic of Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal Training and Research Hospital. Sociodemographic form, Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire (PPAQ) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were applied to the participants. Results: The average total activity score of the participants was found to be 274.05 ±120.15 metabolic equivalent (MET)-hours/week (min-max: 50.92-728.92). Pregnant women were found to engage mostly in light-intensity activities (median: 121.62 MET-hours/week), with housework/caring activities being the most common (median: 143.18 MET-hours/week). Physical activity scores (total activity score) were found to be higher in women aged 31 years and older, those with lower educational level, those with lower income, those who did not receive assisted reproductive technique treatment, those who were employed and women who had their second or more pregnancies (p<0.05). It was found that 25.3% of the participants had mild anxiety, 12% had moderate anxiety, and 1.3% had severe anxiety. The BAI score was higher in women who were in the second trimester, in women who had four or more pregnancies, in women with chronic diseases, in women who received assisted reproductive technique treatment, in women who were not informed about exercise by their physicians and in women who found it useless to exercise during pregnancy (p<0.05) There was no significant relationship between women's physical activity scores and anxiety levels during pregnancy (p>0.05). Conclusion: It was found that the pregnant women in our study mostly engaged in light intensity activities, their physical activity levels did not change as the trimesters progressed, and the anxiety level was highest in the second trimester. In our study, no relationship was found between physical activity during pregnancy and anxiety levels. More studies are needed with different methodological methods. KEY WORDS: Pregnancy, Physical Activity, Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire, Anxiety