How Active Are Women in the First Year of Motherhood? A Systematic Review of Device-Measured Physical Activity

Abstract

This systematic review summarizes previous findings of device-measured moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) in minutes per day from childbirth to 1 year postpartum. A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed and Embase. Eligible studies reported device-measured MVPA at any time within the first 12 months postpartum in healthy parous women. Out of the 1437 studies identified, 15 studies were included, with study populations ranging from 20 to 532 women. MVPA was measured using various physical activity (PA) trackers, with ActiGraph devices being the most common (n = 10). Definitions of MVPA varied, utilizing counts per minute (cpm), Euclidean Norm Minus One (ENMO), metabolic equivalent tasks (METs), or proprietary algorithms. MVPA estimates ranged from 2.14 to 87.3 min/day. Most studies revealed an estimate of MVPA ≤ 27.6 min/day (n = 10), while four studies reported ≥ 55.5 min/day. MVPA estimates varied widely, with most studies reporting estimates below the World Health Organization recommendation of a minimum of 150 min MPA per week. Differences in study characteristics, tracker placement, data processing, and the cut-offs used to define MVPA likely contributed to variability, highlighting the need for standardized methodologies to improve comparability. Expanding our knowledge of postpartum PA can support new mothers in meeting health-enhancing PA recommendations.

Keywords: MVPA; device‐measured physical activity; motherhood; physical activity; postpartum.

FIGURE 1

Flowchart of the study selection process. MVPA, Moderate‐ and vigorous‐intensity physical activity; min/day: Minutes per day; min/week: Minutes per week; N, number; PA, physical activity.

FIGURE 2

Mean or median daily moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity (MVPA) from included studies, measured in minutes per day (min/day) using physical activity (PA) trackers and plotted by time since childbirth (in months). Each data point represents a reported MVPA or moderate physical activity (MPA) estimate. Numbers refer to study authors (see legend). Repeated numbers indicate that the same study reported MVPA estimates from multiple timepoints. *MPA and vigorous physical activity (VPA) were reported separately; only MPA is shown here (VPA < 1 min/day). **MVPA estimates are weighted means across study groups.