Nutritional habits and levels of physical activity during pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period of women in Toledo (Spain): study protocol for a two-year prospective cohort study (the PrePaN study)

Introduction Pregnant women who eat a balanced diet usually practice physical activity (PA) regularly; there are many studies on PA during pregnancy and the results for the mother and baby. However, the guideline for PA during pregnancy is very general and is not quantified. The primary objective of this study is to examine the nutritional habits and levels of PA of women during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Second, it will determine the effects of these aspects on the mother and newborn baby. Its third objective is to identify the factors which influence the practice of PA during this phase. Methods and analysis Se trata de un estudio prospectivo de cohortes que dura 2 anos, f rom de septiembre de 2018 para setiembre del 2020 La muestra sera reclutado en tres Atencion Primaria centros en el area de salud de Toledo (Espana). Las participantes seran mujeres embarazadas de 18 a 40 anos. Ancianos que deben asistir a todos los controles durante el embarazo y el periodo posparto. La PA se cuantificara utilizando la acelerometria, mientras que los habitos nutricionales y el ejercicio fisico se evaluaran mediante cuestionarios validados. Se registraran los sintomas del embarazo y el periodo posparto, junto con los parametros bioquimicos y los datos antropometricos. Los resultados primarios se determinaran en las mujeres embarazadas: aumento de peso, incidencia de diabetes mellitus gestacional, preeclampsia e hipertension inducida por el embarazo. Los resultados secundarios incluyen la duracion del embarazo y el peso al nacer, la puntuacion de Apgar (1 min / 5 min), el tipo de reanimacion (I / II / III / IV) y el pH de la sangre del cordon umbilical en los recien nacidos. Discussion Although the beneficial effects of PA during pregnancy are known, there is a need to perform studies that quantify the amount of PA undertaken by women during pregnancy and the postpartum period. The objective of such studies is to establish science-based individualised guidelines for PA for women during this stage of their lives.