The Active Pregnancy Foundation (APF) recently released a pivotal report, “MOMentum Lost: Unpicking Maternal Physical Activity Patterns in 2022,” authored by Dr Marlize De Vivo, Dr Hayley Mills, and Dr Kathryn Hesketh.
This report shows that pregnancy in itself is a barrier to women’s engagement in physical activities during the childbearing years and highlight barriers and critical insights into the challenges faced by women in maintaining an active lifestyle during this period.
The report highlights that physical activity levels in pregnant and postnatal women remains staggeringly low, despite evidence showing there are substantial physical and mental health benefits for both women and their babies including a 40-67% reduction in depression, gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia without increasing the risk of adverse maternal and/or infant outcomes.