Relationships between Objectively Measured Sedentary Behavior during Pregnancy and Infant Birthweight
Abdelmoumene Benabid1, Lara Deslauriers1, Isabelle Sinclair1
1Département des Sciences de L'activité Physique, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Montreal, QC H2X 1Y4, Canada.
Insights
Sedentary behavior during pregnancy, especially early on, may impact infant birthweight. Both low and high levels of inactivity were linked to lower birthweight-for-gestational age Z-scores.
Area of Science:
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Maternal-Fetal Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- Limited research exists on sedentary behavior during pregnancy, unlike physical activity.
- Understanding sedentary behavior's impact on infant birthweight is crucial for maternal and child health.
- Sociodemographic diversity in study samples is important for generalizability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine sedentary behavior patterns throughout pregnancy.
- To investigate the relationship between sedentary behavior and infant birthweight-for-gestational age (BW-for-GA) Z-scores.
- To assess this relationship in a diverse population.
Main Methods:
- Device-assessed sedentary behavior and physical activity were measured over three days at multiple gestational points (16-18, 24-26, 32-34 weeks).
- Infant birthweights were obtained from medical records for 71 participants.
- Linear regression analyses were used to determine associations between sedentary behavior and BW-for-GA Z-scores.
Main Results:
- No significant linear relationship was found between sedentary behavior and BW-for-GA at any measurement period.
- A modest curvilinear relationship was observed between sedentary behavior at 16-18 weeks gestation and BW-for-GA (R² = 0.073, p = 0.021).
- Both low and high levels of early pregnancy sedentary behavior were associated with lower BW-for-GA, independent of physical activity.
Conclusions:
- The observed associations, though modest, warrant further investigation due to high rates of sedentary behavior in pregnancy.
- Linear analyses may obscure important relationships; non-linear associations might be more relevant.
- Future research should explore detailed associations and inform interventions for sedentary behavior during pregnancy.
Background:
Although numerous studies have assessed physical activity during pregnancy and relationships with infant outcomes, such as birthweight, few have evaluated sedentary behavior. Our objective was to evaluate sedentary behavior across pregnancy and relationships with infant birthweight in a sociodemographically diverse sample.
Methods:
We measured device-assessed sedentary behavior and physical activity over three days at 16-18, 24-26, and 32-34 weeks gestation and infant birthweight from medical records among 71 participants. We used linear regression to assess relationships between sedentary behavior at each evaluation period with birthweight-for-gestational age Z-scores (BW-for-GA).
Results:
There were no linear relationships between sedentary behavior and BW-for-GA at any evaluation period. We observed a modest curvilinear relationship between sedentary behavior at 16-18 weeks and BW-for-GA (R2 = 0.073, p = 0.021). Low and high levels of sedentary behavior predicted lower BW-for-GA. Multivariate models suggested that this relationship was independent of physical activity levels.
Conclusions:
Considering the high levels of sedentary behavior during pregnancy observed in many studies, even modest associations with birthweight merit further consideration. Relationships might not be evident later in pregnancy or if only linear relationships are considered. More detailed studies could help guide recommendations on sedentary behavior during pregnancy and the development of more comprehensive interventions.
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