@misc{10481/111657,
year = {2026},
month = {2},
url = {https://hdl.handle.net/10481/111657},
abstract = {Background: regular physical activity during pregnancy is associated with important 
maternal health benefits, yet the specific impact of walking on labour and neonatal 
outcomes remains unclear. Although walking is the most common form of exercise 
among pregnant women, evidence linking walking levels to obstetric and neonatal 
results is still limited. We aim to explore the relationship between walking activity level 
in the third trimester of pregnancy (t3) and obstetric and neonatal outcomes.
Methods: this was a secondary analysis of the Walking_Preg Project (WPP) randomised 
clinical trial registered in the U.s. National Library of Medicine trials registry (https://
clinicaltrials.gov/study/Nct03735381). Participants were healthy, low-risk pregnant 
women who were not previously physically active. they were given pedometers and 
physical activity recommendations. the sample was classified at t3 as physically active 
(≥7,500 steps/day) or sedentary (<7,500 steps/day) according to tudor-Locke and 
bassett’s index to classify pedometer-determined physical activity in healthy adults.  
Multivariate analyses were conducted to compare obstetric and neonatal outcomes 
between active and sedentary women.
Results: 41 pregnant women walked at least 7,500 steps per day in t3, while 137 did not 
reach that activity level. the crude and adjusted multivariate models showed an inverse 
relationship between walking ≥7,500 steps/day in t3 and unplanned caesarean delivery 
(adjusted Or 0.27, 95% ci 0.05–1.47) as well as a positive relationship with induction of 
labour (adjusted Or 1.10, 95% ci 0.46–2.61) and neonatal weight (adjusted b coef = 
97.55, 95% ci −64.03-259.14; p = 0.23). However, statistical significance was not reached.
Conclusions: in this secondary analysis, no statistically significant associations were 
observed between walking activity during the third trimester and obstetric or neonatal 
outcomes. Given the low adherence to the walking program and the exploratory nature 
of the analysis, these findings should be interpreted with caution and require 
confirmation in larger, adequately powered studies.},
organization = {Instituto de Salud Carlos III co-funded by the European Union - (PI23/01866)},
publisher = {Taylor & Francis},
keywords = {Walking promotion},
keywords = {Caesarean delivery},
keywords = {Physical activity in pregnancy},
title = {Walking promotion in healthy pregnant women and perinatal outcomes: a multivariate analysis comparing active and sedentary mothers},
doi = {10.1080/01443615.2026.2628117},
author = {Benito Villena, Rebeca and Cano Ibáñez, Naomi and Gallardo Vera, Andrea and Mozas Moreno, Juan and Saeed Khan, Khalid and Puertas Prieto, Alberto and Amezcua Prieto, María Del Carmen},
}