Knowledge about Physical Activity and Taking Up Physical Activity by Pregnant Women Covered by Obstetric and Gynecological Care in Selected Facilities in the Lodz Voivodeship
Adam Rzeźnicki
Orcid profile, Kinga Michalik
Orcid profile, Dominika Cichońska-Rzeźnicka
Orcid profile, Karolina Tchórzewska
Orcid profile, Jakub Tchórzewski
Orcid profile, Andrzej Szpak
Orcid profile and Jan Krakowiak
Orcid profile 
Published Online: Mar 25, 2023
Page range: 5 - 21
Received: Dec 22, 2022
Accepted: Feb 23, 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jhsm-2022-0005
Keywords
© 2022 Adam Rzeźnicki et al., published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Public License.
Introduction
Pregnancy is a special time in a woman’s life. Physical activity during pregnancy, after excluding possible contraindications and adjusting the appropriate form of exercise, benefits both the mother and the developing child. It is recommended that pregnant women exercise about 150 minutes per week, especially recommended disciplines are walking, swimming and aerobic exercise.
Objective
To assess the knowledge of pregnant women from the Lodz Voivodeship about taking up physical activity.
Material and methodology
Original online survey questionnaire consisting of 33 questions. The study involved 111 pregnant women. Inclusion criteria: pregnant women, aged between 20 and 40 years, residents of the Lodz Voivodeship, informed consent to participate in the study.
Results
Women taking physical activity before becoming pregnant accounted for 56.73% of subjects, while 63.96% of subjects were physically active during pregnancy. Pregnant women most often chose walking (33.33%), swimming (27.93%) and indoor cycling (18.02%). The most popular sources of knowledge for pregnant women were: medical staff (72.07%), Internet (41.44%) and family (30.36%).
Conclusions
Women who exercised before pregnancy continued to be active during pregnancy. More than half of the previously non-exercising pregnant women were inactive. Among those who exercise before pregnancy, the most common forms of physical exercise are: fitness, swimming, running and cycling. Among pregnant women walking, swimming and cycling. The most popular sources of knowledge about physical activity among pregnant women were: medical staff and the Internet. Educational activities should be carried out to promote and raise awareness of physical activity.