Effects of Antenatal Exercise on the Quality of Life in Pregnant Women: A Literature Review

Background: Antenatal exercise is considered to have both physical and psychological effects and helps prepare pregnant women for labour. This study aims to examine the evidence indicating that antenatal physical exercise improves the quality of life (QOL) in pregnant women. Methods: We conducted a literature review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) using the Patient Intervention Comparison Outcomes (PICO) strategy to construct the following research question: In pregnant women (Patient), do physical antenatal exercises (Intervention) improve the QOL (Outcomes) when compared to routine daily activities, including suitable general physical activity (Comparison)? We searched the Cochrane Library, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and PubMed for studies published before July 2016. Results: We identified nine RCTs, two of which were included in our meta-analysis. The nine identified studies included 1,376 pregnant women, most of whom were in normal health. Of the nine RCTs, three showed statistically significant improvement in the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey Physical Function and General Health subscales. Two RCTs involving 154 women with a body mass index over 25 or 26 kg/m2 were used for the meta-analysis. Our analysis showed a trend towards the intervention groups having higher scores in the World Health Organisation Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) Psychological and Environmental domains than the control groups. Conclusions: Physical and Psychological domains of the QOL measurements showed statistically significant improvement in antenatal exercise intervention groups using relaxation techniques. However, a previous metaanalysis found no evidence of improvement in four WHOQOL-BREF domains. There were many interventional methods in the nine RCTs included; therefore, the relationship between enhancement of QOL and relaxation techniques is unclear.departmental bulletin pape