Pregnancy and exercise can mix - CQU contributes to new national guide

Pregnancy and exercise can mix -CQU contributes to new national guide1 Sports Medicine Australia’s guidelines, compiled with significant input from Central Queensland University (CQU), endorses moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity and exercise during healthy pregnancies. The guidelines were featured in a recent issue of Sport Health magazine with an article on CQU researcher Mel Hayman’s recent research on the exercise behaviours of regionally-based pregnant women. Ms Hayman’s research suggested that for healthy women, physical activity and exercise during pregnancy is not only safe but is associated with numerous benefits for both the mother and unborn child

Pregnancy and exercise

Sports Medicine Australia (SMA) recently received a grant from the Victorian government to update a number of their national fact sheets, including the 'Women in Sport series'. The 'Pregnancy and Exercise' fact sheet is one of the recently updated fact sheets that aims to help guide and educated women in sport

Pregnancy and exercise

All women without contraindications should be encouraged to participate in aerobic and strength-conditioning exercises as part of a healthy lifestyle during their pregnancy. Reasonable goals of aerobic conditioning in pregnancy should be to maintain a good fitness level throughout pregnancy without trying to reach peak fitness cont

Exercising while expecting: Your guide to safely getting your sweat on while pregnant

Historically, pregnancy was considered a time for rest. Pregnant women were advised to ‘take it easy’ and refrain from participating in exercise for fear it may harm the mother and/or her unborn child. However, times have changed and current research now clearly links appropriate exercise during pregnancy with a variety of associated health benefits for both the mother and baby. In women who are sufficiently active during pregnancy, these health benefits include reducing their risk of gestational diabetes up to 30 per cent, as well as helping to reduce the risks of other pregnancy-related complications such as pregnancy induced hypertension and obstetric intervention (Ceasarian-sections). Active pregnant women also have greater control over their gestational weight gain, increased cardiovascular function, improved muscle strength and endurance, and enjoy a heightened sense of energy, wellbeing and self-esteem

Fit4Two: Investigating physical activity promotion among pregnant women in an Australian regional setting

Participation in regular physical activity (PA) during pregnancy is associated with a variety of health benefits for both the mother, and her unborn child. Despite these benefits, limited research suggests that very few pregnant women in Australia are meeting current exercise during pregnancy guidelines. Additionally, the majority of the research that has been undertaken examining exercise behaviours of Australian pregnant women has been conducted in metropolitan and urban areas. Thus, very little is known about the exercise behaviours of Australian pregnant women residing in rural, regional and remote regions

Physical activity during pregnancy: Essential steps for maternal and fetal health

Over the last 50 years, our understanding of the impact of physical activity on maternal and fetal health has profoundly changed. Prior to the first guidelines put forth by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in 1985, pregnant individuals were advised to rest and relax due to concerns about overexerting the ‘fragile’ female physique. But over the last half century, antenatal physical activity has emerged as a powerful preventative tool to reduce major pregnancy complications. Depression, pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes are reduced by 40–67% without increasing the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, including miscarriage, preterm delivery or small for gestational age baby.1,2 Recent position statements and a review article published in the New England Journal of Medicine now advocate for moderate-intensity physical activity as a safe and accessible frontline treatment to prevent the development of preeclampsia. 3 This is a major shift in our view of physical activity as activity restriction was previously advised for those at high risk

Development of a new evidence-based SMA position statement on exercise in pregnancy and the post-partum period

Background: Historically, pregnancy was believed to be a time for rest from exercise. However, an increasing body of epidemiological and empirical evidence has recently challenged this view. It is now widely acknowledged that appropriate physical activity and exercise (PAE) undertaken during pregnancy promotes many benefits for both the mother and her unborn child. Despite these benefits, very few pregnant women are sufficiently active to benefit health. In an attempt to help educate pregnant women and healthcare providers, Sports Medicine Australia (SMA) released the first Australian position statement ‘Exercise during Pregnancy’ in 2002. Other peak industry bodies have recently released guidelines for PAE during pregnancy targeting general practitioners, exercise and fitness professionals and pregnant women. However, these guidelines present inconsistent recommendations and none present evidence-based research to guide their recommendations. The aim of this study was to undertake a review of exercise during pregnancy literature, and use the findings to guide the development of a new SMA Position Statement on Exercise in pregnancy and the post-partum period. Methods: A working group of academics (n=3) and health professionals (n=2) was established in 2014. An extensive ‘review of reviews’ approach was used to identify relevant literature published in the last 10 years. Results: The search resulted in 12 systematic and meta-analyses and 9 narrative reviews. These narrative reviews included two peer-reviewed summary papers that included 11 exercise during pregnancy and postpartum guidelines from 9 countries, 6 ‘guidelines’ or ‘fact sheets’ on exercise during pregnancy, 3 scientific reports on Australian and US physical activity guidelines, and a WHO factsheet on obesity and overweight. Each of the above was reviewed by working group members with new evidence informing the development of the 2016 SMA position statement ‘Exercise in pregnancy and the post-partum period’, designed for pregnant women, as well as healthcare providers. Discussion: This new evidence-based position statement will help to guide women and healthcare providers through safe and appropriate PAE during pregnancy, in accordance with best practice recommendations

Fit4Two [Website]

Fit4Two is an online computer-tailored program designed to improve the lifestyle behaviours of Australian pregnant wome

Exercise in pregnancy and the postpartum period: NEW position statement

Sports medicine Australia have just released their exercise in pregnancy and the postpartum period position statement. Lead researchers Melanie Hayman from CQUniversity and professor Wendy Brown from the University of Queensland, discuss the evidence-based process and share the new guidelines

The efficacy of telehealth-delivered speech and language interventions for primary school-age children: a systematic review

The purpose of this article is to determine if telehealth-delivered speech-language pathology interventions are as effective as traditional in-person delivery for primary school-age children with speech and/or language difficulties. A systematic review was conducted (in accordance with PRISMA guidelines) using five databases, two journals and reference lists. Titles and abstracts were screened for inclusion, with relevant studies reviewed in full-text. Initial searches identified 132 articles. Following exclusion of non-relevant studies, seven articles remained for inclusion. Results revealed both telehealth and in-person participants made significant and similar improvements when treatment effects were measured through five of the six outcome measures. Findings showed there is limited but promising evidence to support telehealth for delivering speech-language pathology intervention services to school-age children. Whilst this is encouraging, particularly for rural children where in-person services are limited, more rigorous study designs are required to support the efficacy of telehealth for this population