Pregnant women in SG lack exercise

Exercise offers some advantages during pregnancy, but many pregnant women in Singapore do not engage in any physical activity (PA). A recent study has shown a low uptake of PA by pregnant women in the country, with most of the participants failing to meet the international recommendations.

“The amount of PA in our study population was far below the international recommendations and also compared unfavourably with Western populations,” the researchers said. “Maternal age, trimester of pregnancy, and employment were the factors which affected PA among pregnant women in Singapore, while variables such as race, parity, and BMI did not appear to affect the amount of PA.”

In this cross-sectional study, researchers surveyed 201 pregnant women aged 20–44 years in different trimesters of pregnancy from KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital and Singapore General Hospital. They obtained information on patient demographics, attitudes and perceptions of exercise, and practice of exercise. PA amount was determined using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ).

Nearly all participants (99.0 percent) deemed exercise beneficial in pregnancy, but only 31.6 percent engaged in any moderate or vigorous leisure-time PA (LTPA). Those who did were active for a median of 120 minutes or 2 hours per week. [Singapore Med J 2024;65:488-493]

Sadly, only about 1 in 10 pregnant women (12.6 percent) met the national recommendations of at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week. 

Moreover, the amount of total PA performed was lower among women in later trimesters of pregnancy and higher among working moms. This finding was consistent with studies done in other countries and could be associated with greater physical discomfort with the progression of pregnancy. [Am J Prev Med 2016;51:e87-89; Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2009;88:1267-1275; Prev Med 2011;53:39-43]

“We had expected working mothers to engage in less PA, because they may have less time to exercise,” the researchers said. “Although employment status was not associated with a significant difference in the amount of moderate or vigorous LTPA performed, we found that when walking was included, working mothers engaged in significantly more PA than nonworking mothers.”

One possible reason for this is that working mothers were able to walk to their workplace in an accessible city-state like Singapore. These women are also better educated, resulting in greater awareness of the benefits of exercise during pregnancy.

Furthermore, a China study published in 2019 reported the association between employment during pregnancy and PA among pregnant women. [BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2019;19:295]

Recently, a national guideline was introduced in Singapore to provide recommendations regarding exercise in pregnant women. [Singapore J Obstetr Gynaecol 2020;51:9-16]

“We are optimistic that the introduction of standardized national recommendations will increase women’s awareness of optimal amounts of exercise in pregnancy and provide a structured framework for obstetricians to promote uptake of exercise among pregnant women in Singapore,” the researchers said. 

“Moving forward, standardized exercise programs based on national guidelines can be introduced in our centre to encourage and improve the uptake of exercise in pregnancy,” they added.