Faculty of Health Sciences, Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Kuopio, Finland.
Occup Med (Lond). 2018 Feb 16;68(1):11-17. doi: 10.1093/occmed/kqx166.
The highest incidence of preterm birth (18%) occurs in Africa but the causes are largely unknown. Some studies have reported adverse effects of maternal physical exertion on birth outcomes. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) is proposed to determine the effectiveness of an intervention reducing lifting and carrying in pregnant women in reducing preterm birth and low birthweight.
To test the feasibility and acceptability of the proposed lift-less intervention RCT.
We recruited pregnant women and midwives from antenatal clinics within the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The midwives were trained to administer the intervention during a 5-week trial. Four intervention trial sessions were organized at weekly intervals.
Seven pregnant women and six midwives participated. After piloting, we observed a reduction in participants' self-reported daily exposure to heavy lifting and carrying. The daily average frequency of lifting by a participant within the first seven days of the study was 3.5 (SD 1.7) with an estimated mean total weight of 41.1 kg (SD = 13.3 kg). This had decreased to 2.3 (SD = 1.0) and the amount to 13.4 kg (SD = 10.9) within the last seven days of the study.
The findings provide insight into the daily physical exertion experienced by pregnant women in Ghana. The lift-less intervention trial is feasible with modifications and has the potential to reduce excessive physical exertion among pregnant women in Ghana to improve birth outcomes.
早产发生率最高（18%）的地区是非洲，但造成早产的原因很大程度上尚不清楚。一些研究报告称，母体体力活动对分娩结果有不良影响。现提出一项随机对照试验（RCT），旨在确定减少孕妇提举和搬运的干预措施在降低早产和低出生体重方面的效果。
测试减少提举和搬运干预措施 RCT 的可行性和可接受性。
我们从加纳大阿克拉地区的产前诊所招募了孕妇和助产士。助产士接受了为期 5 周的试验期内实施干预的培训。每周组织四次干预试验。
共有 7 名孕妇和 6 名助产士参与了研究。在试行阶段后，我们观察到参与者自我报告的日常重度提举和搬运暴露量有所减少。在研究的前 7 天内，参与者每天平均提举次数为 3.5（SD = 1.7），估计平均总重量为 41.1 公斤（SD = 13.3 公斤）。在研究的最后 7 天内，这一数字减少到 2.3（SD = 1.0），提举的重量为 13.4 公斤（SD = 10.9）。
这些发现深入了解了加纳孕妇的日常体力活动情况。对减少提举干预措施进行了修改，使其具有可行性，并有可能减少加纳孕妇过度的体力活动，从而改善分娩结果。
