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Medical pole walking and cardiovascular health among pregnant women with anemia

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Abstract

Purpose

We compared a traditional set of physical activity, including walking, with a newer Medical Pole Walking (MPW) method to evaluate its efficacy in improving cardiovascular health of pregnant woman affected by anemia.

Methods

A total of 110 pregnant women (20–27 weeks of gestational age, 25.7 ± 4.3 years old) suffering of first degree Iron Deficit Anemia were randomly assigned to either a control or experimental group. Control group followed a standard program, which includes gymnastic, walking, massage, and special diet with iron supplements and vitamins. The experimental group participated in MPW classes, instead of walking, for the same amount of time. A pedometer and a heart rate monitor were used to monitor participants’ cardiovascular functions (i.e., heart rate frequency, diastolic and systolic blood pressure) during supervised walking activities in open-air spaces. A cardiotocography was used to monitor fetus’ health.

Results

Inferential analyses revealed that heart rate and blood pressure decreased for women that exercised with MPW. Furthermore, there were significant effects for fetal heart rate and acceleration in cardiotocography.

Conclusions

Altogether, these results indicate that MPW leads to an (a) improved cardiovascular function in pregnant women with Iron deficit anemia and (b) a better compensatory ability of the fetus to produce a favorable physiological response to hypoxemia. Limitations and directions for future research are outlined.

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Conflict of Interest

Alexander Vladimirov, Nataly Vladimirova, Yuriy Andriyashek, Maurizio Bertollo have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Education and Therapy in Poznan, Poznan, Poland

    Alexander Vladimirov & Nataly Vladimirova

  2. National Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education “P.L. Shupik”, Chair of Medical, Rehabilitation and Sport Medicine, Dorogozhitska str.9, Kiev, 04112, Ukraine

    Yuriy Andriyashek

  3. Department of Medicine and Aging Sciences, Behavioral Imaging and Neural Dynamics Center, University “G. d’Annunzio” of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy

    Maurizio Bertollo

Authors
  1. Alexander Vladimirov
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  2. Nataly Vladimirova
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  3. Yuriy Andriyashek
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  4. Maurizio Bertollo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yuriy Andriyashek.

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Vladimirov, A., Vladimirova, N., Andriyashek, Y. et al. Medical pole walking and cardiovascular health among pregnant women with anemia. Sport Sci Health 11, 43–48 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11332-014-0203-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11332-014-0203-z

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