Assessment of Physical Activity Status and Its Determinants Among Antenatal Mothers with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in a Selected Institute in Southern, Sri Lanka: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objective: Assessment of physical activity (PA) status and its determinants among antenatal mothers with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) in a selected institute in Southern, Sri Lanka Methods: A descriptive study was conducted at the antenatal clinics and wards in a selected institute in Southern, Sri Lanka, from February to April 2023. Antenatal mothers who were in their third trimester and diagnosed with GDM were selected using the convenience sampling method while excluding antenatal mothers with physical disabilities, severe chronic illness, or psychiatric illnesses, and who were advised to restrict PA. The data were collected by a self-administered questionnaire. Part A of the questionnaire consisted of questions on sociodemographic data and clinical data. In Part B, physical activity was assessed using an internationally validated tool, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)-short version. Data were analyzed using the IPAQ scoring protocol and the Add type of statistics. Results: A total of 168 antenatal mothers were included in the sample. Almost half (47.28%) of the participants were in the below 25 years age group, 97% were married, and 50% were Buddhists. Around half of the antenatal mothers (49.4%) from the total sample were educated up to secondary school. Most of them were housewives (56.5%) and had a middle monthly income (54.2%). The majority of the antenatal mothers (45.2%) were obese based on their pre-pregnancy weight and had 2 or more than 2 children. The percentage of antenatal mothers with a history of GDM is 45%, and a family history of DM was 60.7% and 73.8%, respectively. Around 75% of the antenatal mothers had no other chronic diseases. The mean (SD) energy expenditure of the study group was 921.93 (135.98). Vigorous activities, moderate-level activities, and walking followed by 32.1%, 89.4%, and 96.4%. As per the IPAQ categorical analysis, 58.9% of participants were in low levels of PA. Family support (p=0.031) and pre-pregnancy body weight (p=0.004) showed a significant association with the level of PA. Conclusions: The level of PA is considerably low among study participants. Vigorous activities are the least common activity type among antenatal mothers. The findings of the study will be useful in developing a scientifically validated physical activity protocol for antenatal mothers with GDM.