The SAFE study: Stress and fatigue control by exercise: Acute and long-term effects of aerobic exercise in lactating employed mothers

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Stress and fatigue experienced by lactating employed mothers can affect mothers’ and babies’ mental and physical health detrimentally. Aerobic exercise is known to control stress and fatigue, but the dosages of the exercises needed to maintain long-term effects are still under investigation. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the acute and long-term effects of aerobic exercise on controlling stress and fatigue in lactating, employed mothers. METHODS: This randomized control study involved sixty lactating, employed mothers suffering from stress and fatigue. They were divided into two groups: Group A received five sessions of 30-minute aerobic training on a treadmill per week, in addition to lifestyle modification advice for six weeks. Group B received the same lifestyle routine advice for the same duration without being trained. Assessments of stress and fatigue levels were done before, after 6 weeks, and after 6 months from the baseline assessments using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and Fatigue Assessment Scale (FAS), respectively. RESULTS: Post-six-week comparisons within and between both groups showed a significant decline in PSS-10 and FAS in group A compared with group B (p <  0.001); however, after six months of follow-up, there were statistically significant effects within groups only (p <  0.05) and no statistically significant difference between groups at both variables (p >  0.05). CONCLUSION: Aerobic exercises for 6 weeks can induce an acute but not long-term effect on stress and fatigue control in lactating-employed mothers. Future research is needed to tailor the exercise prescription needed to maintain training’s long-term benefits.