Anatomy and Cell Biology Publications

Title

Impact of prenatal exercise on both prenatal and postnatal anxiety and depressive symptoms: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Authors

Margie H. Davenport, Program for Pregnancy and Postpartum Health, Physical Activity and Diabetes Laboratory, Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, Women and Children's Health Research Institute, Alberta Diabetes Institute, University of Alberta
Ashley P. McCurdy, Program for Pregnancy and Postpartum Health, Physical Activity and Diabetes Laboratory, Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, Women and Children's Health Research Institute, Alberta Diabetes Institute, University of Alberta
Michelle F. Mottola, R. Samuel McLaughlin Foundation-Exercise and Pregnancy Laboratory, School of Kinesiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Children's Health Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario
Rachel J. Skow, Program for Pregnancy and Postpartum Health, Physical Activity and Diabetes Laboratory, Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, Women and Children's Health Research Institute, Alberta Diabetes Institute, University of Alberta
Victoria L. Meah, Cardiff School of Sport and Health Sciences, Cardiff Metropolitan University
Veronica J. Poitras, Independent Researcher, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Alejandra Jaramillo Garcia, Independent Researcher, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Casey E. Gray, Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute
Nick Barrowman, Clinical Research Unit, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute
Laurel Riske, Program for Pregnancy and Postpartum Health, Physical Activity and Diabetes Laboratory, Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, Women and Children's Health Research Institute, Alberta Diabetes Institute, University of Alberta
Frances Sobierajski, Program for Pregnancy and Postpartum Health, Physical Activity and Diabetes Laboratory, Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, Women and Children's Health Research Institute, Alberta Diabetes Institute, University of Alberta
Marina James, Program for Pregnancy and Postpartum Health, Physical Activity and Diabetes Laboratory, Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, Women and Children's Health Research Institute, Alberta Diabetes Institute, University of Alberta
Taniya Nagpal, R. Samuel McLaughlin Foundation-Exercise and Pregnancy Laboratory, School of Kinesiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Children's Health Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario
Andree-Anne Marchand, Department of Anatomy, Universite du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres
Megan Nuspl, Alberta Research Centre for Health Evidence, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta
Linda G. Slater, John W. Scott Health Sciences Library, University of Alberta
Ruben Barakat, Facultad de Ciencias de la Actividad Física y del Deporte-INEF, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
Kristi B. Adamo, School of Human Kinetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa
Gregory A. Davies, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Queen's University
Stephanie-May Ruchat, Department of Human Kinetics, Universite du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres

Document Type

Review

Publication Date

11-2018

Issue

21

Journal

British Journal of Sports Medicine

Volume

52

First Page

1376

Last Page

1385

URL with Digital Object Identifier

https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2018-099697

Abstract

Objective To examine the influence of prenatal exercise on depression and anxiety during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Design Systematic review with random effects meta-analysis and meta-regression. Data sources Online databases were searched up to 6 January 2017. Study eligibility criteria Studies of all designs were included (except case studies) if they were published in English, Spanish or French and contained information on the Population (pregnant women without contraindication to exercise), Intervention (subjective or objective measures of frequency, intensity, duration, volume or type of exercise), Comparator (no exercise or different frequency, intensity, duration, volume and type of exercise) and Outcome (prenatal or postnatal depression or anxiety). Results A total of 52 studies (n=131406) were included. Moderate' quality evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) revealed that exercise-only interventions, but not exercise+cointerventions, reduced the severity of prenatal depressive symptoms (13 RCTs, n=1076; standardised mean difference: -0.38, 95%CI -0.51 to -0.25, I-2=10%) and the odds of prenatal depression by 67% (5 RCTs, n=683; OR: 0.33, 95%CI 0.21 to 0.53, I-2=0%) compared with no exercise. Prenatal exercise did not alter the odds of postpartum depression or the severity of depressive symptoms, nor anxiety or anxiety symptoms during or following pregnancy. To achieve at least a moderate effect size in the reduction of the severity of prenatal depressive symptoms, pregnant women needed to accumulate at least 644 MET-min/week of exercise (eg, 150min of moderate intensity exercise, such as brisk walking, water aerobics, stationary cycling, resistance training). Summary/Conclusions Prenatal exercise reduced the odds and severity of prenatal depression.

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