SynthesisWomen's health (London, England)
Physical activity postpartum: A systematic review and quality appraisal of clinical guidelines.
Synthesis in Women's health (London, England). The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPostpartum physical activity (PA) is crucial in supporting maternal health, contributing to mental health and well-being, weight management, and overall physical fitness. Although multiple health organizations have issued PA recommendations for postpartum women, the content and quality of these guidelines have not yet been systematically evaluated.
objectivesTo evaluate the quality of published guidelines on PA for postpartum women and to summarize their recommendations to provide clearer guidance for healthcare providers and postpartum women.
designSystematic review following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. DATA SOURCES AND
methodsSix electronic databases were searched for guidelines related to PA for postpartum women. Gray literature was also reviewed. Guidelines were included if they were developed by recognized health organizations, provided PA (including structured supervised exercises) recommendations for postpartum women, and were published or updated within the last 10 years. Data extraction and quality appraisal were independently conducted by pairs of reviewers using the Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation Tool (AGREE II).
resultsEighteen guidelines were included, with AGREE II scores ranging from 50% to 92%. Seven guidelines (39%) met the criteria for satisfactory methodological quality. Most guidelines recommended that postpartum women engage in at least 150 min of moderate-intensity aerobic PA per week, while the 2025 Canadian guideline supports a minimum of 120 min based on meta-analytic evidence. Common recommendations included pelvic floor muscle training, strengthening exercises, and other exercises, with advice to seek healthcare guidance for women with special conditions.
conclusionThere is a universal agreement across guidelines that postpartum women should aim for at least 120-150 min of moderate-intensity PA weekly. Future research should strengthen the evidence for specific types of PA, delivery mode considerations, and implementation strategies. REGISTRATION: International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews: PROSPERO (CRD42023447331).
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.