Bump start needed: linking guidelines, policy and practice in promoting physical activity during and beyond pregnancy

Citation

Mills H, Atkinson L, Olander E, Smith D, Hayes L, Currie S, Newham J, Foster C & De Vivo M (2020) Bump start needed: linking guidelines, policy and practice in promoting physical activity during and beyond pregnancy. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 54 (13), pp. 764-765. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2019-101413

Abstract
First paragraph: There is compelling evidence that regular physical activity (PA) during pregnancy benefits both mother and baby.1 2 Notably, physical and psychological benefits are evident in the literature, such as marked reductions in the development of gestational diabetes and hypertensive disorders, alongside improvements in depressive symptoms and cardiorespiratory fitness.1 2 The evidence base has been reflected by recent policy initiatives, for example, in 2017 (relaunched in 2019), the UK‘s chief medical officers (CMOs) published PA guidelines for pregnant women, which made substantial strides in unifying and translating the evidence into recommendations.1 The CMO guidelines are aimed at supporting health professionals to provide consistent, evidence-based PA messages to women throughout pregnancy.1 Recently, the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity have updated their professional standards for working with antenatal and postnatal clients to align with these CMO guidelines.3 However, not all women have access to professionals with this level of expertise and training, potentially limiting the impact of the CMO guidelines.

Journal
British Journal of Sports Medicine: Volume 54, Issue 13

People

Dr Sinead Currie

Lecturer, Psychology