The Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices towards Exercise among Women Attending Antenatal Care at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia

Introduction: There is persuasive evidence on the benefits of exercise during pregnancy such as; reduced time spent in labour, prevention of caesarean sections, quick recovery after childbirth and getting back to the pre-pregnancy figure. The aim of the study was to obtain information on the knowledge, attitudes and practices towards exercise among women attending antenatal care at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional exploratory study. Data was collected using a semi structured questionnaire and summarized using descriptive statistics. The chi-square test was used to test associations and the significance level was set at 5%.
Results: Three hundred pregnant women participated in the study and the majority (n=222) 74% showed inadequate knowledge on the type of exercises done in pregnancy. Knowledge and attitude was positively associated with the educational level (p<0.03) though exercise practice in relation to the educational level was insignificant. The number of pregnancies were also positively associated with the pregnant women’s knowledge (p=0.001), attitude (p<0.01) and practice (p=0.01) towards exercise in pregnancy.
Conclusions: The flow of information on the types of exercises done in pregnancy among pregnant women attending antenatal care is inadequate. This underlines the need for physiotherapy personnel involvement in antenatal care to provide information and advice on exercises to pregnant women.