INFLUENCE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN PREGNANTS: A CROSS STUDY

Abstract

Introduction: Pregnancy causes changes mainly in cardiorespiratory systems, musculoskeletal and overall metabolism that is not restricted to the organs, but also the mechanics of the female body. In addition to pay attention to all these changes, it is necessary that health professionals worry with the quality of life of these women, which will bring benefits both to them and also to the fetus. Objetive: To assess the impact of exercise on quality of life in pregnant women. Methodology: This is a cross-sectional study of pregnant women. They responded to an international physical activity questionnaire, entitled IPAQ (International Physical Activity Questionnaire) short version and divided into sedentary and physically active Also, to a questionnaire of quality of life (SF - 36). Results: 56 women were evaluated.The group "Active" has a mean age of 28.6 ± 5.6 years and in the group "Sedentary" the average age was 29 ± 6 years. On the issue of pain the group "Active" scored better when compared to "Sedentary" (48.4 ± 29 vs. 69 ± 23.7, respectively (p = 0.007). So did General Health 50 ± 11.5 vs. 57.1 ± 10.6 (p = 0.01) and Emotional Aspects Limitation 38.2 ± 9.9 vs. 54.5 ± 14.1 (p <0.001). Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, exercise positively influences the quality of life of pregnant women.