Knowledge and Attitude of Nigerian Pregnant Women towards Antenatal Exercise: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Table 4

Knowledge of respondents’ on benefits of and contraindications to antenatal exercises (𝑁=189).

Items	Agree (%)	I (%)	DG (%)	AS (%)
Benefits
(1) Reduces risk of back pain during pregnancy	75.9	18.4	5.8	84
(2) Prevents excessive weight gain during pregnancy	69.1	23.3	7.7	79
(3) Increases risk of urinary incontinence during pregnancy	41.3	43.8	14.7	69
(4) Increases risk of diabetes during pregnancy	35.1	47.7	17.2	65
(5) Strengthens pelvic floor muscles during pregnancy	54.3	37.0	8.8	73
(6) Increases formation of varicose veins during pregnancy	35.3	55.9	8.8	68
(7) Increases risk of swelling of extremities during pregnancy	56.9	37.3	5.8	76
(8) Causes high blood pressure during pregnancy	58.4	35.1	6.6	76
(9) Increases muscle tone, strength, and endurance during pregnancy	59.5	34.0	6.6	78
(10) Increased energy and stamina during pregnancy	64.1	30.1	5.7	79
(11) Improvement of body awareness, posture, coordination, and balance during pregnancy	63.8	31.5	4.6	80
(12) Better ability to cope with labour and delivery	69.6	27.4	3.0	82
(13) More rapid postnatal recovery	67.4	30.1	2.5	80
Contraindications
(1) Vaginal bleeding during pregnancy	14.3	34.2	51.5	73
(2) Uterine contractions during pregnancy	17.8	38.1	44.1	70
(3) Chest pain during pregnancy	15.3	40.3	44.3	70
(4) Migraine during pregnancy	12.1	43.0	44.9	71
(5) Difficulty in breathing during pregnancy	16.5	38.9	44.6	70
(6) Swelling of the extremities during pregnancy	31.8	42.2	26	62
(7) Back pain during pregnancy	28.5	45.8	25.7	61
(8) Extreme weight gain or loss during pregnancy	30.7	48.2	21.1	57
(9) Abdominal pain during pregnancy	20.8	40.8	38.4	65
(10) Muscle weakness during pregnancy	33.9	38.9	27.1	62
(11) Dizziness during pregnancy	17.3	42.5	40.3	68
(12) Diabetes during pregnancy	15.6	44.7	39.7	54
(13) Premature labour during pregnancy	10.9	41.9	47.1	73

Key: I: indifferent; DG: disagree; AS: average Score.