Abstract
Introduction
Sleep quality and physical activity can affect the mental and physical health of pregnant women and their babies in utero.
Methods
We investigated the feasibility of objectively assessing sleep quality and physical activity among resource-constrained, pregnant women in urban Lima, Peru. Twenty pregnant women were asked to complete written sleep logs and wear ActiSleep, a wristwatch-like device that records sleep quality (consecutive minutes of uninterrupted sleep) and physical activity (steps), for seven consecutive days. Sociodemographic data and pregnancy characteristics were also collected.
Results
Of twenty women, 13 (65%) had sufficient data collected for analysis. The mean age of study participants was 26.3 years (SD = 3.9), with a mean sleep duration of 6.9 h (SD = 1.4). The median time for sleep onset was 21:15. The mean time for sleep latency was 17.3 min; and wake after sleep onset was 116 min. The mean number of awakenings was 20.4 (SD = 6.7); and sleep efficiency was 77.9%. For physical activity, participants averaged of 6,029 steps per day (SD = 3,087).
Discussion
Objective assessment of sleep quality and physical activity among pregnant women in a resource-constrained setting was promising, despite modest data collection completeness. Wearable technology could be used in health interventions to improve sleep quality and physical activity among this population.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank the women who participated in the study.
Funding
This pilot study was embedded within a larger study promoting maternal health in Lima, Peru as part of the Grand Challenges Canada Global Star mechanism (grant ST-POC-1707-07122).
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JTG, LEF, and BG designed the study. All authors implemented the study. JTG, JC, LEF, and BG analyzed and interpreted the data. JTG, KR, JC, LEF, CM, and BG wrote the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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The study was approved by the institutional review boards of the Cayetano Heredia University in Lima, Peru (#17012) and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, MA.
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Galea, J.T., Ramos, K., Coit, J. et al. The Use of Wearable Technology to Objectively Measure Sleep Quality and Physical Activity Among Pregnant Women in Urban Lima, Peru: A Pilot Feasibility Study. Matern Child Health J 24, 823–828 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-020-02931-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-020-02931-5