Health and movement · 1 min read
Adding exercise or counseling showed no change in pregnancy weight gain
Gestational diabetes also showed no difference. 219 healthy, inactive pregnant women in Denmark were randomized to three groups.
The study, in plain language
The study proposed two ways to add movement during pregnancy: supervised exercise sessions or motivational counseling meetings. A trial in Denmark compared both with usual care in healthy pregnant women who were not very active at baseline. 219 were randomized, and delivery and infant data were available for 178.
There was no difference among groups in weight gain or gestational-diabetes frequency, and most delivery and infant outcomes followed the same pattern. In one specific comparison, delivery occurred somewhat later in the exercise group than in the counseling group, without a general benefit on other outcomes. Attendance and physical activity were also lower than expected, limiting conclusions.
The key idea
In this trial, adding exercise or counseling did not change weight gain, and participants moved less than expected.
Something to think about
When an activity program is tested, how much did people actually move? Here, attendance and physical activity were lower than expected.
The original study
Effects of prenatal exercise on gestational weight gain, obstetric and neonatal outcomes: FitMum randomized controlled trial
Source under CC BY 4.0. English adaptation and explanation by PaperFlow, with AI assistance. The text has been reorganized for a general audience; it is not the complete paper and does not imply endorsement by its authors.
One study alone does not represent a field's consensus. Educational content does not replace professional advice. Report a possible error.