ArticlePloS one2018
Effects of physical activity during pregnancy on preterm delivery and mode of delivery: The Japan Environment and Children's Study, birth cohort study.
Article in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Do pregnant African women exercise? A meta-analysis.PloS one · 2023Pooled it
- The effects of vigorous intensity exercise in the third trimester of pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2019Pooled it
- Walking through trimesters: a quantitative assessment of step counts before and during pregnancy and their impact on pregnancy outcomes.Archives of gynecology and obstetrics · 2026Article
- Physical Activity Before and During Pregnancy and Neurodevelopment in Early Childhood.JAMA network open · 2026Article
- The single-cell immune profile throughout gestation and its potential value for identifying women at risk for spontaneous preterm birth.European journal of obstetrics & gynecology and reproductive biology: X · 2025Review
- Adherence to Healthy Prepregnancy Lifestyle and Risk of Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes: A Prospective Cohort Study.BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · 2025Article
- Determinants of Adverse Perinatal Outcomes in Ibadan, Nigeria: The influence of maternal lifestyle.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Association of physical activity level during pregnancy with preterm birth and infant adiposity: longitudinal analysis from the MAASTHI cohort, India.Sport sciences for health · 2025Article
- Exercise during pregnancy Dose: Influence on preterm birth outcomes.European journal of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology · 2024Article
- Recent Findings on Exercise Therapy for Blood Glucose Management in Patients with Gestational Diabetes.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Gestational Age and Neurodevelopmental Delay in Term Births at 6 and 12 Months: The Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS).Maternal and child health journal · 2024Article
- Exercise FITT-V during pregnancy: Association with birth outcomes.Birth defects research · 2024Article
- Investigating the association of the lifestyle of pregnant women with the rate of preterm labor.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2024Article
- The Association Between Exercise During Pregnancy and the Risk of Preterm Birth.International journal of women's health · 2024Article
- Association between maternal fish consumption during pregnancy and preterm births: the Japan Environment and Children's Study.Environmental health and preventive medicine · 2023Article
- Surgical and obstetric outcomes of breast cancer surgery during pregnancy: a nationwide database study in Japan.Breast cancer research and treatment · 2022Article
- Relationship between Physical Activity and Physical and Mental Health Status in Pregnant Women: A Prospective Cohort Study of the Japan Environment and Children's Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Preterm birth and PMEnvironmental health : a global access science source · 2021Article
- Physical activity and sleep duration during pregnancy have interactive effects on caesarean delivery: a population-based cohort study in Tianjin, China.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2021Article
- Physical Activity in Pregnancy: Beliefs, Benefits, and Information-Seeking Practices of Pregnant Women in South Africa.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe aim of this study was to examine how physical activity (PA) before and during pregnancy influences pregnancy outcomes, particularly preterm delivery and mode of delivery.
methodsThis study was based on the Japan Environment and Children's Study. A total of 92,796 pregnant women who gave birth to live singleton babies were included. Information on mean PA per week during pregnancy was extracted from the responses to questionnaires completed by women during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. Information on PA before pregnancy was obtained from questionnaires answered based on recall at participation. The level of PA was stratified into the following quartiles for categorical analysis: Very low, Low, Medium, and High. Pregnancy outcomes, gestational age at delivery (whether preterm delivery or not), and mode of delivery (spontaneous, instrumental, or caesarean delivery) were compared between the different groups adjusted for multiple covariates.
resultsWith respect to PA during pregnancy, the risk of preterm delivery and instrumental delivery increased significantly in the Very low group compared to that in the Medium group (odds ratios [OR] 1.16, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05-1.29; OR 1.12, 95% CI, 1.03-1.22, respectively). Moreover, the risks of caesarean delivery in the Low group and instrumental delivery in the High group were significantly higher than the risks in the Medium group (OR 1.07, 95% CI, 1.00-1.15; OR 1.12, 95% CI, 1.02-1.22, respectively). In contrast, with respect to PA before pregnancy, there were no statistically significant differences when the other groups were compared to the Medium group.
conclusionsPre-pregnancy PA has no negative effects on preterm birth and caesarean delivery. In contrast, both may be affected by PA during pregnancy because a low level of PA appears to slightly increase the risk of preterm delivery and operative delivery (caesarean and instrumental).
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