STUDY PROTOCOL article

Front. Glob. Women’s Health

Sec. Maternal Health

Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fgwh.2025.1450342

Environmental and psychosocial correlates of physical activity in pregnant women: A study protocol

Provisionally accepted
Lourdes Margaix-FontestadLourdes Margaix-Fontestad1,2*Javier Molina-GarcíaJavier Molina-García3,4Begoña Arriero-HurtadoBegoña Arriero-Hurtado1Julia Asensi-TarínJulia Asensi-Tarín1Ana QueraltAna Queralt2,5
  • 1Public Health Research Center, Biomedical Research of Health and the Valencian Community (FISABIO), Valencia, Spain
  • 2University of Valencia, Valencia, Valencian Community, Spain
  • 3AFIPS Research Group, Department of Teaching of Physical Education, Arts and Music, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
  • 4Epidemiology and Environmental Health Joint Research Unit, FISABIO-UJI-UV, Valencia, Spain
  • 5Fundación para el Fomento de la Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de la Comunitat Valenciana (FISABIO), Valencia, Spain

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Pregnant women are often more open to engaging in healthy lifestyles. Numerous studies have shown that physical activity (PA) during pregnancy contributes to obstetric and neonatal benefits. Nonetheless, most pregnant women do not comply with PA recommendations. We will analyze the association between environmental and psychosocial variables and PA levels during pregnancy. This observational and cross-sectional study will include pregnant women in their second trimester.Questionnaires will assess obstetric, psychosocial, built-environmental perceptions, and PA factors. PA will also be objectively measured using accelerometers. Geographic Information Systems will objectively analyze built-environment attributes. Birth and neonatal variables will be obtained from patient clinical histories. Multiple regression models will be used to evaluate how personal, psychosocial, and environmental variables influence PA. This study will potentially contribute to characterize the environments that favor PA during pregnancy.

Keywords: accelerometry, built environment, Geographic Information Systems, healthy lifestyles, physical activity, Pregnancy, psychosocial, Women

Received: 20 Jun 2024; Accepted: 04 Jun 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Margaix-Fontestad, Molina-García, Arriero-Hurtado, Asensi-Tarín and Queralt. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Lourdes Margaix-Fontestad, Public Health Research Center, Biomedical Research of Health and the Valencian Community (FISABIO), Valencia, 46020, Spain

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Supplementary Material