During pregnancy, symptoms are an important contributor to poor health status, while in the postpartum period a lack of social support is the most consistent predictor of poor health outcomes

(Hueston and Kasik-Miller 1998). The recommended levels of physical activity were positively associated with one or more domains of health-related quality of life (Hueston and Kasik-Miller Sotrastaurin nmr 1998). In particular, physical functioning, general health, vitality, social functioning, and mental health are critically affected by the recommended level of physical activity (Brown et al 2003). In the current study, the physical aspects of health-related quality of life, such as bodily pain and general health, seemed to be more closely associated with the amount of physical activity than the mental aspects are. This finding is consistent with several previous studies (Brown et al 2000, Ramirez-Velez 2007, Tessier et al 2007). Although the perception of vitality – measuring the degree of energy, pep, or tiredness experienced – is classified as a mental health component in the Short Form-8 and the Short Form-36 questionnaires, it has a complex construction and is moderately correlated with both mental and physical health functioning. Our data for healthy women with uncomplicated pregnancies would provide useful norms for evaluating the effect of pregnancy and its management in women with underlying health

problems or complications unless of pregnancy. Because of the changes STI571 cell line associated with gestational age in physical domains, researchers may wish to adjust the normative values of the physical domains when pregnant women are included in research studies. The long-term effects of exercise on quality of life in women after their pregnancy would best be evaluated if exercise were

adopted by these individuals as a lifestyle modification (Brown et al 2000, Ramírez-Vélez et al 2008). Studies that report long-term data from these or similar participants in subsequent years would be necessary for such an evaluation. Future studies could also aim to determine the effects of different physical exercise programs on quality of life in healthy pregnant women, eg, assessing the intensity of the exercise expressed in relative maximum oxygen uptake or relative heart rate, or through quantification of daily physical activity with accelerometers. eAddenda: Table 3 available at www.JoP.physiotherapy.asn.au Ethics: The University of Valle Research Ethics Committee approved this study (Res-022/29-UV). Informed consent was gained from all participants before data collection began. Competing interests: None declared. Support: University of Valle and Nutrition Group (Grant N. CI 1575). This work was supported by the University of Valle (Grant N. CI 1575). Robinson Ramírez-Vélez received a grant from Instituto Colombiano para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y la Tecnología ‘Francisco José de Caldas’ to undertake doctoral study.