Pages: 24-31

Abstract

Introduction: Pregnancy anxiety has negative consequences on maternal and fetal health, so today, various interventions have been proposed to control pregnancy anxiety. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of yoga on the anxiety of pregnant women in their first pregnancy. Methods: A randomized clinical trial was conducted in 2012 on 60 first pregnant women aged 18-40 years old referring to comprehensive health centers of Zahedan. The subjects were randomly divided into intervention and control groups. During the 26-27 weeks of gestation in the intervention group, 24 patients, 15 sessions of yoga and 29 control groups received routine care. Data were collected by a questionnaire for demographic and pregnancy anxiety (PRAQ-R). The pre-test was done at week 26 and the post-test at 34-36 weeks, taking into account the interval of 2 weeks of intervention, and the data were analyzed using paired t-test. The software spss 16 was analyzed. Results: The mean of anxiety score before intervention was not significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.48) but after the intervention, the mean anxiety score decreased in the intervention group (p <0.0001). Statistical tests showed that there was a significant reduction in the level of anxiety after intervention in the intervention group (P = 0.001). There was no significant decrease in the control group (P = 0.11). Conclusion: Yoga exercises are effective in reducing anxiety in pregnant women.