Comparing the level and intensity of physical activity in pregnant women with gestational diabetes and healthy pregnant women

Regular physical activity during pregnancy is associated with a reduced risk of gestational diabetes. The aim of the present study was to evaluate and compare the level and intensity of physical activity in pregnant women with gestational diabetes and healthy pregnant women.
This case-control study was conducted on 100 referring pregnant women (50 pregnant women with gestational diabetes and 50 healthy pregnant women) with purposeful sampling from available samples with an age range of 25-35 years. Physical activity level was measured using the Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire (PPAQ). Mann-Whitney u test was used to compare the level and intensity of physical activity of two groups.
The level of physical activity at home (p=0.013), Transportation activity(p=0.000) and total physical activity(p=0.012) in the gestational diabetes group was significantly lower compared to the healthy pregnant group. There was no significant difference in occupational physical activity(p=0.815) and Sports/exercise activities(p=0.104) between the two groups. The activities with light intensity(p=0.042) and moderate intensity(p=0.030) in the gestational diabetes group were significantly lower than the healthy group. No significant difference was observed in high-intensity activities (p=0.315) and sedentary behaviors (p=0.114) between the two groups.
The results of the present study showed that the level of physical activity and activities with light and moderate intensity in pregnant women with gestational diabetes are lower than in healthy pregnant women, hence the development of prevention programs with aim of increasing the level of physical activity is necessary.