Maternal Sedentary Behavior and Physical Activity across Pregnancy and Early Childhood Motor Development

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Pediatrics
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Early childhood motor development is a key predictor of lifelong health.
• In utero exposures can influence offspring health outcomes throughout life.
• The impact of maternal physical activity during pregnancy on child motor development is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between maternal activity profiles during pregnancy and early childhood motor development.
• To determine if sedentary behavior (SED) or moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) impacts motor skills.
• To explore trimester-specific and overall pregnancy activity patterns.

Main Methods:

• Prospective cohort study of 70 mother-child pairs.
• Objective measurement of maternal SED and MVPA throughout pregnancy.
• Assessment of child motor development using the Early Motor Questionnaire (EMQ) for children aged 12-30 months.
• Linear regression models to analyze associations between maternal activity and EMQ scores.

Main Results:

• Maternal SED during pregnancy showed no association with any motor development domains (gross motor, fine motor, perception-action).
• Higher maternal MVPA across pregnancy, particularly in the first and second trimesters, was significantly associated with advanced fine motor and perception-action scores.
• Associations indicated moderate-sized effects, suggesting a meaningful impact of maternal activity.

Conclusions:

• Maternal moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during pregnancy, especially in early pregnancy, is positively associated with more advanced early childhood motor development.
• Maternal MVPA may represent a modifiable behavior influencing offspring's short- and long-term health.
• Further research can explore interventions to promote maternal physical activity for improved child development outcomes.