The Effects of Aerobic Water Exercise on Pregnancy

NCT01364506 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: upeclin/HC/FMB-Unesp-54
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 41
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Objective: To assess the relationship between maternal cardiovascular capacity and aerobic water exercise during the gestational periods of hemodynamic overload. Study design: randomized clinical trial, with 41 healthy pregnant women assigned to one of two groups: Control and Water exercise. Maternal cardiovascular capacity (maximum oxygen consumption, cardiac output, stroke volume, heart rate and mean arterial pressure), physical performance (relative HR, treadmill speed and self-perceived exertion) and neonatal outcome (gestational age, weight, Apgar index and length of infant's hospitalization) were assessed. Means were evaluated by dependent and independent t-tests, and proportions by the chi-square method (p\<0.05). Results: The control variables showed that the groups were homogeneous. Water exercise was associated with maintenance of VO2max, increase in stroke volume and cardiac output, and better performance on stress tests in the third trimester of gestation. No significant difference in neonatal variables was observed. Conclusion: Water exercise maintained cardiovascular capacity and performance under submaximal stress, and did not affect hemodynamic adaptation to gestation or neonatal outcome.

Conditions

Pregnancy Related; Physical Activity

Keywords

Cardiovascular capacity; Water exercise; Hydrokinetic Therapy; Pregnancy; Perinatal outcomes

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Cardiovascular capacity

  Performed during prenatal visits at 16-20, 28-33 and 34-39 weeks. Cardiovascular capacity was evaluated by using a treadmill submaximal stress test, according to the protocol of Balke-Ware \& Bruce that requires five minutes on treadmill at fixed incline and constant individualized speed with AP and HR monitoring.

  39 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Assessment of physical performance at stress testing; stress perception during testing

  39 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Water exercise

EXPERIMENTAL

Other: Water aerobic exercise

Control

NO INTERVENTION

Interventions

Water aerobic exercise OTHER

The hydrotherapy program of Prevedel et al.14 was used. One-hour sessions, led by a physiotherapist under the supervision of an obstetrician, were held three times a week in an indoor swimming-pool heated at 28oC-32oC, and consisted of exercises of moderate intensity (60-70% of maximum heart rate). Subgroups of up to 10 subjects participated in each session. Sessions were offered at different times of the day (morning, afternoon, and evening). The exercises included 5 phases: stretching, warm up, endurance training, strength training and relaxation with breathing exercises, in accordance with the recommendations of ACOG11.

Water exercise

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 15 Years - 26 Years
• Sex: female
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Low-risk (healthy) pregnant women
• At 16-20 weeks of gestation
• Seen at the Prenatal Care Service for Low-risk Pregnancies of Botucatu Medical School-UNESP

You may not qualify if:

• Twin pregnancy
• Clinical or obstetric disorder contraindicating an exercise program
• Withdrawal from prenatal care at our service
• Loss to follow-up; and failure to attend three (or more) exercise sessions, which was considered non-compliance to the aerobic water exercise program

Sponsors & Collaborators

• UPECLIN HC FM Botucatu Unesp: lead
• Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo: collaborator
• Federal University of São Paulo: collaborator
• Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, UNESP, Botucatu, Brasil: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics of Botucatu Medical School - São Paulo State University/UNESP

Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Motor Activity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Study Officials

• Iracema MP Calderon, MD, Phd

  Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics of Botucatu Medical School - São Paulo State University/UNESP. Botucatu, Brazil

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 31, 2011
• First Posted: June 2, 2011
• Study Start: January 1, 2000
• Primary Completion: April 1, 2001
• Study Completion: April 1, 2001
• Last Updated: June 2, 2011

Record last verified: 2011-05

Locations

BR (1)