THE USE OF VISUAL PROMPTS TO INCREASE KEGEL EXERCISE PERFORMANCE IN PREGNANT-WOMEN - A CASE-STUDY

A multiple baseline research design utilising visual prompts was imple mented with 7 women in varying stages of pregnancy (24 to 35 weeks) to increase their frequency of Kegel pelvic exercises. Following a basel ine phase, in which participants self-recorded their rates of Kegel ex ercise, an intervention comprising visual prompts was introduced. A re turn to baseline phase was then implemented where the visual prompts w ere removed. Data were analysed in two ways. First, a Friedman one-way repeated measures analysis of variance revealed a significant increas e in the frequency of Kegel exercises during intervention. When the in tervention was removed, the frequency of Kegel exercises decreased, in some cases to a level below that established as the original baseline . Second, data were analysed for each participant using DMITSA 2.0, wh ich revealed that, while all individuals experienced increases in Kege l exercising from baseline to treatment phase, only 3 of the 7 experie nced significant increases. Similarly, while 6 of the 7 participants e xperienced reductions in frequency of exercises when the treatment pha se concluded, in only one case was the reduction significant. These fi ndings are also compared to recommended rates of Kegel exercise regime s.