Associations Between Walking in the Third Trimester of Pregnancy and Maternal Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

ABSTRACT: Prenatal physical activity (PA) has well-established benefits for maternal mental health. However, PA levels are generally low among pregnant individuals and were even lower during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since walking is the most popular form of prenatal PA, we aimed to examine associations between walking in the third trimester of pregnancy and mental health symptoms of depression, anxiety, pregnancy-related anxiety and perceived stress during the pandemic. Relevant pandemic-related factors (e.g., COVID-19 waves, population density) associated with walking were also studied. Pregnant individuals were recruited across Quebec (Canada) between October 2020 and September 2022, as part of the Resilience and Perinatal Stress during the Pandemic (RESPPA) study. Analyses were conducted on data co

SUBMITTER: Brun A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12563144 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature