Association Between Physical Activity Level ，Overall Muscle Strength and Pelvic Floor Muscle Function in Women.
Condition: Pelvic Floor Disorders; Pelvic Floor Muscle Weakness
MeSH terms: Muscle Weakness; Pelvic Floor Disorders
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      In this study, it is assumed that grip strength is associated with pelvic floor muscle
      strength. And the outcome of pelvic floor function can be predicted by referring to the
      status of pelvic floor muscle strength through the value of grip strength, which is
      labor-saving, time-saving and more convenient for evaluating pelvic floor muscle function.
      Moderate physical activity and increase the overall strength can activate the potential
      mechanism of pelvic floor muscle contraction at the same time may be a "core muscles" overall
      effect, that core muscles mainly includes transverse abdominal muscle, pelvic floor muscles
      and the muscles around the back, these muscles in the body movement to spontaneous
      collaboration contract pelvic floor muscles, enhancing pelvic floor muscle function, thus
      reducing the incidence of pelvic floor dysfunction.
    

Detailed description: 
      This study is a cross-sectional observational study, planned to enroll 942 participants from
      Gynecology Outpatient Clinic. Uniformly trained physicians as investigators to collect
      indicators from questionnaires and physical examinations.

      Questionnaires may contain general information which include the patient's age, height, body
      weight before pregnancy and childbirth, weight gain during pregnancy, gestational age,
      pregnancy time, production time, high palace, delivery mode, neonatal birth weight, body
      length, blood sugar, blood fat, whether or not to use during pregnancy, childbirth, labor,
      perineal laceration, forceps midwifery, episiotomy and epidural data, pelvic floor cognition
      degree, physical activity levels, pelvic floor dysfunction score, pelvic floor functional
      impact score and sexual function score (including the prenatal and postnatal participants).

      Physical examinations will be performed without the results of the questionnaire, including
      stress tests, pelvic floor POP-Q staging, pelvic floor muscle strength by palpation, vaginal
      relaxation degree, grip strength value, rectus abdominis separation, waist circumference,
      waist-hip ratio, etc.

      Through univariate analysis of the general data of the patients, the related factors of
      female PFD were obtained, and the independent influencing factors of PFD were found by binary
      Logistic regression analysis (the dependent variable in this study was a dichotomous
      variable). The ROC curve was used to evaluate the predictive value of patients' overall
      strength level, physical activity level, body shape and other indicators on PFD outcome.
    

Observational model: Cohort
Time perspective: Prospective
Sampling method: Probability Sample
Study population: 
        This study is a cross-sectional observational study, planned to enroll 1143 participants
        from Gynecology Outpatient Clinic. PASS.15 software was used for sample size calculation.
        α- error level was set as 0.05, U0.05=1.96. For the main indicators, according to the
        epidemiological investigation of FEMALE PFD by our previous study, the comprehensive
        selection of PFD prevalence is 10%, and error δ=4%, calculated n=914, proposed to increase
        the loss rate by 20%. The sample size was about 1143.
      
Keywords: women; physical activity; overall muscle strength; hand grip strength; pelvic floor muscle strength