Walking through trimesters: a quantitative assessment of step counts before and during pregnancy and their impact on pregnancy outcomes

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OBJECTIVE: To examine walking behavior during pregnancy and its association with obstetric and neonatal outcomes. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included pregnant patients who delivered between 2020 and 2024 at a tertiary medical center. Daily step counts were recorded via the Health Auto Expert mobile application from three months before conception until admission to the labor ward. Pregnancy and delivery data were obtained from medical records. The primary outcome was a composite of delivery complications by step-count category: Above-Average and Below-Average, based on the cohort mean. Secondary outcomes included postpartum complications, mode of delivery, and neonatal outcomes. RESULTS: The mean daily step count during pregnancy was 2539, declining progressively with gestation. Of 176 patients, 71 (40%) were Above-Average and 105 (60%) Below-Average. The Above-Average group had higher pre-pregnancy activity (4541.7 vs 2330.3 steps/day, p < 0.001) and higher maternal age. No significant differences were found in composite delivery or postpartum complications. Vacuum extraction was more frequent in the Above-Average group (15.5% vs 3.8%, p = 0.014), though not significant after adjustment. Median neonatal birth-weight percentile was 54.5, lower in the Above-Average group (44.0 [25.0-71.0] vs 60.0 [38.0-78.0], p = 0.024), without significance in multivariable analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Walking patterns declined across pregnancy. Step count was not associated with delivery complications or adverse maternal or neonatal outcomes. Walking during pregnancy appears safe and was not associated with adverse maternal or neonatal outcomes in this predominantly sedentary cohort of low-risk pregnancies.

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