Funding outcome

The benefits of physical activity (PA) during pregnancy are globally recognized, with both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Canadian Guidelines advocating for at least 150 minutes of moderate-vigorous intensity physical activity per week. These recommendations are designed to optimize physiological and psychological outcomes for both the mother and fetus, reducing the risk of gestational diabetes, hypertension, and excessive weight gain. However, a significant limitation of these global standards is that they were predominantly developed using data from high-income North American and European populations. Consequently, applying these Western-centric guidelines to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) like Nepal is problematic, as they fail to account for different socioeconomic conditions, environmental factors, and the nature of physical labour. Therefore, there is a critical knowledge gap regarding how local activity patterns which often involve lighter, but more prolonged, occupational and domestic labour rather than planned leisure-time exercise influence maternal-fetal health. Our preliminary pilot work in Nepal demonstrate low MVPA but positive outcomes in relation to light PA. This prospective cohort study seeks to address this essential disparity by investigating the PA patterns of pregnant individuals in the Pokhara region of Nepal. We aim to quantify current PA levels, evaluate maternal cardiovascular health, and measure the specific associations between these activity patterns and clinical pregnancy outcomes. Over a two-year period, we will recruit 400 pregnant participants to measure objective ambulatory PA using accelerometers, assess the health of mothers during pregnancy, and conduct postpartum follow-ups to record birth outcomes. By generating localized, data this project will determine whether existing international benchmarks are applicable in the Nepali context or if culturally and contextually specific guidelines are required.