Association between physical activity 3-12 months after delivery and postpartum well-being

Abstract

Background: Postpartum time is a transient time for the mother and her family, in which mothers need psycho-physical andsocial adaptation. This study aimed to defi ne the association between postpartum physical activity 3-12 months after deliveryand postpartum well-being.

Materials and Methods: This is a historical cohort study in which based on the primary information obtained from the physicalactivity questionnaire, 91 mothers were divided into two groups of postpartum light activity and moderate/heavy activity. Then,postpartum well-being in both the groups was measured by using the physical activity questionnaire.The subjects were selected from seven health care centers through purposive convenient sampling, and the obtained data wereanalyzed by descriptive and analytical statistical tests.

Results: The results showed that 74.7% (n = 68) of the subjects had light physical activity and 25.3% (n = 23) had moderateand heavy physical activity. There was no signifi cant difference in these two groups concerning physical activity. Mean score ofmothers’ well-being in the group of light physical activity was less than that in moderate and heavy activity.

Conclusion: The fi ndings showed that postpartum physical activity increases postpartum well-being and having a program inthis regard can promote some of the health dimensions.

Key words: Iran, mothers’ well-being, physical activity, postpartum, postpartum depression