Objectively Measured Sedentary Behavior and Physical Activity Across 3 Trimesters of Pregnancy: The Monitoring Movement and Health Study
in Journal of Physical Activity and HealthBackground: Though moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity is recommended, limited research exists on sedentary behavior (SED) during pregnancy. Methods: The authors conducted a prospective cohort study to describe objectively measured patterns of SED and activity during each trimester of pregnancy. Women wore thigh- (activPAL3) and waist-mounted (ActiGraph GT3X) activity monitors. SED and activity were compared across trimesters using likelihood ratio tests and described using group-based trajectories. Exploratory analyses associated SED and activity trajectories with adverse pregnancy outcomes and excessive gestational weight gain. Results: Pregnant women (n = 105; mean [SD] age = 31 [5] y; prepregnancy body mass index = 26.2 [6.6] kg/m2) had mean SED of 9.7, 9.5, and 9.5 hours per day (P = .062) across trimesters, respectively. Some activities differed across trimesters: standing (increased, P = .01), stepping (highest in second trimester, P = .04), steps per day (highest in second trimester, P = .008), and moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (decreased, P < .001). Prolonged SED (bouts ≥ 30 min) and bouted moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (≥10 min) were stable (P > .05). In exploratory analyses, higher SED and lower standing, stepping, and steps per day trajectories were associated with increased odds of adverse pregnancy outcomes (P < .05). No trajectories were associated with excessive gestational weight gain. Conclusions: Pregnant women exhibited stable SED of nearly 10 hours per day across pregnancy. Future research evaluating SED across pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcome risk is warranted.
Barone Gibbs, Jones, and Jakicic are with the Department of Health and Human Development, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. Jakicic is also with the Healthy Lifestyle Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. Jeyabalan and Catov are with the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Magee-Womens Research Institute and Clinical and Translational Sciences Research Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. Whitaker is with the Department of Health and Human Physiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
Supplementary Materials
- Supplementary Table S1 (PDF 17 KB)
- Supplementary Table S2 (PDF 27 KB)
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