Physical fitness assessment during pregnancyValidity and reliability of fitness tests and association with maternal-fetal health. The GESTAFIT project

Resumen

Physical fitness (PF) is an important marker of health and a significant predictor of morbidity and mortality across the lifespan. During pregnancy, higher PF seems to be associated with better maternal and neonatal health-related outcomes. Consequently, assessing PF in pregnant women is of clinical relevance. However, a battery of fitness tests specific for pregnant women is not available. In fact, PF during pregnancy has been assessed with a wide variety of tests that have not been compilled to date. It must also be noted that PF can be assessed objectively through either laboratory or field-based fitness tests, and also subjectively through with self-reports, such as the International FItness Scale (IFIS). However, the validity and reliability both of objective measures of PF and the IFIS for subjective evaluation in pregnant women is unknown. The main aims of this International Doctoral Thesis were to provide a compilation of the fitness tests that have been used to assess PF in pregnant women and to assess the potential usefulness of the IFIS in this population. The association of objectively measured and self -reported PF with maternal and/or fetal health was also assessed. To address these aims, 2 studies were conducted. The main findings of this Doctoral Thesis were: I) PF has been assessed through a wide variety of protocols, mostly lacking validity and reliability data, and that no consensus exists on the most suitable fitness tests for pregant women; II) Information regarding the association of PF with maternal-fetal outcomes is scarce although it suggest that higher PF might be associated with favourable health outcomes; III) The IFIS is a useful, simple and quick tool to identify three physical fitness levels (low, medium and high) in pregnant women; IV) IFIS is able to discriminate between pregnant women with different levels of HRQoL even better than objectively measured PF. The results of this Doctoral Thesis enhance our understanding about physical fitness assessment during pregnancy as well as about the validity and reliability of the most frequently used protocols in this population.