Ksenija Bubnjević and Jelena Kovačević
Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
Military Academy, Belgrade, Serbia
Faculty of Food Technology, University of Osijek, Croatia
Abstract
Pregnancy is a physiological condition during which a series of morphological and anatomical
changes occur. Adaptation to new changes in the body depends on the psychological and
physical condition of the patient. One of the many factors that affect the quality of life is physical
exercise. Proper exercise prevents certain chronic diseases, reduces pregnancy discomfort, gives
a feeling of satisfaction and influences a positive outcome of the pregnancy. The aim of this
study was to examine the validity of the preliminary version of the questionnaire, and therefore
examine the impact of exercise on the quality of life during pregnancy. The questionnaire
involved pregnant women (N=33). All of whom were in their third trimester of pregnancy. The
participants voluntarily filled out an anonymous questionnaire. The questionnaire included
information about: social and marital status, education, frequency of maternity problems, the
type of exercise, as well as the level of training load during pregnancy. High reliability and
validity of the survey (0,873) was determined by Cronbach alpha coefficient. Pregnant women
(48%) commonly practiced low intensity yoga, up to three times a week. Most of the women
(45%) believe that the exercise has a positive impact on their health. A difference of statistical
significance was observed between the type of exercise and heart burn (r=0.349; p=0.046), as
well as between the type of exercise and body weight (r=0.357; p=0.041). The results of this
pilot study show a lower incidence of common maternity symptoms in pregnant women who
exercised during pregnancy.
Keywords: Pregnancy, physical exercise, quality of life.
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