Association of Physical Activity With Perceived Stress and Well-Being in the Third Trimester of Pregnancy: Physical Activity in the Third Trimester of Pregnancy

Waqar Ahmed; Parveen Akhter; Fatima Soomro; Husan Bano Channar; Waheed Ahmed; Saad Raza; Abdul Qudoos

doi:10.54393/pjhs.v6i1.2636

Authors

Waqar Ahmed People’s Nursing School, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Pakistan
Parveen Akhter People’s Nursing School, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Pakistan
Fatima Soomro People’s Nursing School, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Pakistan
Husan Bano Channar People’s Nursing School, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Pakistan
Waheed Ahmed Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan
Saad Raza 1People’s Nursing School, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Pakistan
Abdul Qudoos Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54393/pjhs.v6i1.2636

Keywords:

Physical Activity, Perceived Stress, Prenatal Care, Third Trimester of Pregnancy

Abstract

Physical inactivity is considered a worldwide pandemic that leads to numerous health problems. The World Health Organization advises pregnant women to participate in at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week to enhance health outcomes. As in the last trimester of pregnancy, considerable physical, hormonal, and psychological changes at this stage need further exploration. Objectives: To determine the association between physical activity, perceived stress, and well-being in the third trimester of pregnancy. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 245 third-trimester pregnant mothers was conducted at a local healthcare center using non-probability purposive sampling from June 2024 to November 2024. The Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire (PPAQ) was used to quantify physical activity, stress levels were measured with the Perceived Stress Scale-04 (PSS-04), and well-being was assessed using the WHO-5 Well-Being Index. Spearman correlation analysis and descriptive statistics were used to investigate the connections among stress, physical activity, and well-being. Results: Increased physical activity is associated with decreased levels of stress, based on the data, It demonstrated a strong inverse relationship between physical activity and perceived stress (ρ=-0.342, p<0.01). Additionally, there was a positive correlation between well-being and physical exercise (ρ=0.232, p<0.01). Conclusions: It was concluded that physical activity decreased stress and improved well-being in the third trimester of pregnant women. This implies that medical professionals should recommend physical activities in prenatal care, especially in various cultural needs programs. More research is needed with larger, diverse groups.

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