Impact of Prenatal Physical Activity on Mode of Delivery and Pre-Term Birth: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

This study utilized a cross-sectional survey design and focused on female patients who were hospitalized to Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar. A total of 132 patients were included in this survey. Data collection was conducted using the convenience sampling technique. The female patients included in this study were postnatal women who were singletons and above the age of 18, and had no problems linked to pregnancy. Data analysis was conducted using version 22 of SPSS. The Chi-square test was utilized for association. The Objective was to assess the influence of physical activity (PA) throughout pregnancy on the occurrence of maternal obesity and pre-term delivery

A total of 132 people, all above the age of 18, took part in this study. The average age of the group was 25 years with a standard deviation of 5.37. The occurrence rates of normal vaginal delivery, caesarean section, and pre-term delivery were 66.5%, 33.3%, and 15.2% respectively. Nevertheless, the occurrence of low, moderate, and strong levels of physical activity were 32 (24.2%), 100 (75.8%), and 0 (0%) respectively. A significant correlation was seen between prenatal physical activity and method of delivery (P-value = 0.00), but no significant correlation was identified between prenatal physical activity and pre-term delivery (P-value = 0.631). Furthermore, a significant correlation was seen between age and manner of delivery (P-value = 0.006), but no significant correlation was discovered between age and pre-term delivery (P-value = 0.157).
The findings of this study indicate that engaging in physical activity during pregnancy has a beneficial effect on the method of delivery, but it does not have any influence on the occurrence of pre-term birth. This study also determined that there is a correlation between age and MOD (mode of delivery), and no correlation was discovered with pre-term delivery.