Abstract
Background
Traditional risk factors for preterm delivery (PTD) do not account for the disparate
rates among African-American women. Physical activity during pregnancy may protect
women from PTD, but few studies exist in African Americans. Our objective was to examine
the relationships between PTD and intensity and duration of leisure time physical
activity (LTPA) as well as non-LTPA such as stair climbing and walking for a purpose
during pregnancy.
Methods
Data were from a hybrid retrospective/prospective cohort study of urban low-income
African-American women enrolled from 2001 to 2004 in the Baltimore PTD Study (n = 832).
PTD was defined as birth before 37 completed weeks of gestation. Study participants
reported physical activity during prenatal (n = 456) and post-partum (n = 376) interviews.
Findings
The rate of PTD was 16.7%. In unadjusted log-binomial regression models, we found
no significant associations. However, in models adjusted for illicit drug use, locus
of control, and a validated family resources scale, we found a significant decrease
in prevalence of PTD for women who walked for a purpose more than 30 min/d (prevalence
ratio, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.43–0.94), compared with women who walked less than or equal
to 30 min/d.
Conclusions
These results suggest that walking for a purpose during pregnancy may confer protection
against PTD among urban low-income African Americans.
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Biography
Shawnita Sealy-Jefferson, PhD, MPH, is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences at Wayne State University School of Medicine. She is a social epidemiologist whose research focuses broadly on minority health disparities.
Biography
Kristy Hegner, MPH, is a registered dietitian whose areas of expertise include nutrition counseling and nutrition education.
Biography
Dawn P. Misra, PhD, MHS, is a Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences at Wayne State University School of Medicine. She is an epidemiologist whose work integrates the social and biologic determinants of prenatal health.
Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
April 21,
2014
Received in revised form:
April 9,
2014
Received:
October 29,
2013
Footnotes
Funding source: NIH grant # 1R01HD058510-01.
Identification
Copyright
© 2014 Published by Elsevier Inc.
