Limited research has prospectively examined women’s exercise and psychological health behaviors before, during, and after pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between and the extent to which depressive symptoms (DS), body image satisfaction (BIS), and exercise behavior (EB) prospectively explained trimester-specific and postpartum depression. Participants (N = 230 pregnant women) completed self-reported measures midway through their first, second, and third trimesters and at 6-weeks postpartum from 2005 to 2007. Women were also classified based on current activity guidelines as active and somewhat active to examine the moderating influence of pre-pregnancy EB on the contributions of the study variables for explaining DS. We found that : (a) DS, BIS, and EB were associated across the three pregnancy time points and postpartum, (b) DS and BIS were main determinants of later depression in pregnancy and postpartum, and (c) the moderating influence of pre-pregnancy EB was evident in early pregnancy. These preliminary findings suggest that DS and BIS are important psychological factors for intervention to improve women’s pregnancy and postpartum psychological health and that EB in the pre-pregnancy period may offer women protective effects against DS in early pregnancy.

Purpose. In this review, we provide researchers and practitioners with an overview of the physical activity and pregnancy literature to promote prenatal physical activity, improve measurement, further elucidate the role of activity in reducing maternal health complications, and inform future research. Method. We examined past and present physical activity and pregnancy studies and highlight key papers with a focus on maternal health outcomes to best inform physical activity promotion efforts. Results. We discuss: (a) historical overview of prenatal physical activity relative to the physical activity guidelines, how they have changed over time, and how evidence of the effect of prenatal activity on maternal/fetal health outcomes has affected clinical recommendations; (b) existing tools and challenges associated with measuring prenatal physical activity; (c) empirical evidence on multilevel determinants of prenatal activity to guide future intervention work; (d) empirical evidence of prenatal activity on adverse maternal outcomes (gestational diabetes mellitus, preeclampsia, excessive gestational weight gain) from observational and intervention studies; and (e) summary/recommendations for future research and practice. Conclusions. The physical activity and pregnancy literature has evolved over the past 50 years, and there is sufficient empirical evidence to support the promotion of moderate-to-vigorous prenatal physical activity for maternal health benefits. Future studies and interventions should be carefully designed, theoretically driven, and include validated and reliable activity measures. Researchers and practitioners should also consider the multifaceted determinants and outcomes of prenatal physical activity and intervene to promote physical activity before, during, and after pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE—The purpose of this study was to examine the exercise beliefs and behaviors of postpartum women who had gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) during a recent pregnancy. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—Postpartum women with GDM (n = 28) completed a mail survey assessing their self-reported exercise beliefs (advantages, barriers, and important social influences) and behaviors. RESULTS—We found that 1) the strongest perceived advantage of exercise during pregnancy was controlling blood glucose and postpartum it was controlling weight, 2) the most common barrier to exercise during pregnancy was fatigue and postpartum it was a lack of time, 3) women’s husband/partner most strongly influenced their exercise during pregnancy and postpartum, 4) women exercised more during the postpartum period than before or during pregnancy, and 5) the number of exercise advantages was positively associated with women’s pregnancy and postpartum exercise behavior. CONCLUSIONS—To increase exercise behavior and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes in women with GDM, researchers and health care professionals are encouraged to use women’s exercise beliefs, that is, advantages, social influences, and perceived barriers to exercise, as a framework for designing effective diabetes treatment and prevention programs.

Body image satisfaction in pregnancy may have an important influence on maternal biopsychosocial outcomes. This study aims to examine the mediating influence of trimesters 2 and 3 body image satisfaction on trimesters 2 and 3 depressive symptoms, exercise behavior, and gestational weight gain. Pregnant women (N = 151; mean age = 30) prospectively completed study measures via mail during their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd trimesters. As predicted, trimesters 2 and 3 body image satisfaction mediated the relationship between trimester 1 body image satisfaction and trimester 2 depressive symptoms and the relationship between trimester 2 body image satisfaction and trimester 3 depressive symptoms. In contrast to the hypothesis, no mediation was observed for the relationship between body image satisfaction and exercise behavior or gestational weight gain. These preliminary findings demonstrate that body image satisfaction is an important psychological determinant of depressive symptoms in pregnancy. Promoting healthy body image may be a non-pharmacological strategy that offers protective effects against depressive symptoms during pregnancy.