{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T09:00:54Z","timestamp":1785402054477,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,8,5]],"date-time":"2024-08-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1722816000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Medicina"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background and Objective: This study aimed to explore the impact of physical activity on depression, anxiety, and stress among pregnant women in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among pregnant women attending randomly selected prenatal clinics in primary healthcare hospitals in Jazan, Saudi Arabia. The calculated sample size was 350. Data were collected conveniently through a semi-structured questionnaire covering demographic details, pregnancy-related characteristics, physical activity assessed using the Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire (PPAQ), and mental health parameters evaluated by the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21). The statistical analyses included descriptive statistics and Wilcoxon and Kruskal\u2013Wallis rank sum tests, with significance levels set at p &lt; 0.05. Results: The study involved 406 pregnant females. Nearly a third (31%) had a family history of depression, anxiety, or distress. The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress was 62.6%, 68.7%, and 38.4%, respectively. The mean sedentary, light, moderate, vigorous, and total energy expenditures were 1.512, 24.35, 22.32, 4.84, and 53.02 metabolic equivalent tasks\/day. Anxious females exhibited higher light activity (median 24, p = 0.033), while stressed ones showed higher light (median 25, p = 0.039), moderate (median 20, p &lt; 0.001), and vigorous activity (median 3, p &lt; 0.001). A significant association was observed between total energy expenditure and stress levels (p &lt; 0.001). Conclusions: This study underscores the importance of physical activity in managing depression, anxiety, and stress among pregnant women in Jazan, Saudi Arabia. The findings suggest a need for tailored interventions to promote physical activity to improve mental well-being during pregnancy.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/medicina60081263","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,8,5]],"date-time":"2024-08-05T07:37:30Z","timestamp":1722843450000},"page":"1263","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["The Impact of Physical Activity on Depression, Anxiety, and Stress during Pregnancy in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"60","author":[{"given":"Abdulaziz M.","family":"Alfaqih","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Saudi Board of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Ministry of Health, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0170-1437","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ahmad Y.","family":"Alqassim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Family and Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohammed H.","family":"Hakami","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Al Madaya Primary Health Care, Ministry of Health, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ahmed M.","family":"Sumayli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8286-2533","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nawaf E.","family":"Bakri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shorog A.","family":"Alhazmi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Amal M.","family":"Ageeli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Remas A.","family":"Kobaice","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nasser A.","family":"Hakami","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Surgery Department, College of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Abdullah Fouad","family":"Hamadah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Maternity and Children Hospital, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alanoud M.","family":"Masmali","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-2111-5200","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alhassan H.","family":"Hobani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,8,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e36","DOI":"10.1016\/j.wombi.2014.08.002","article-title":"A prospective examination of depression, anxiety and stress throughout pregnancy","volume":"27","author":"Rallis","year":"2014","journal-title":"Women Birth"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1064","DOI":"10.1097\/AOG.0b013e3181f60b0a","article-title":"Depressive disorders during pregnancy: Prevalence and risk factors in a large urban sample","volume":"116","author":"Melville","year":"2010","journal-title":"Obstet. 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