Maternal Exercise during Pregnancy Impacts Motor Performance in 9-Year-Old Children: A Pilot Study

Area of Science:

• Maternal and child health
• Developmental pediatrics
• Exercise physiology

Background:

• Maternal physical activity benefits are known, but long-term child outcomes are less studied.
• Pilot study investigating pregnancy lifestyle intervention effects on child development up to 9 years.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of maternal exercise during pregnancy on children's motor performance and body composition up to age 9.
• To explore influencing factors such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and lifestyle.

Main Methods:

• Pilot follow-up study with 11 mother-child pairs in the intervention group and 8 in the control group.
• Assessed motor performance, body composition (BMI, BMI-SDS), maternal BDNF, and lifestyle factors.
• Follow-up to 9 years of age.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in BMI or BMI-SDS between groups from birth to 9 years.
• Lifestyle intervention influenced children's cardiorespiratory endurance and coordination.
• Maternal BDNF in late pregnancy associated with child running performance, potentially via neuronal development.

Conclusions:

• Maternal lifestyle interventions during pregnancy are crucial for promoting child health and motor development.
• Findings suggest a link between maternal BDNF and child's running performance.
• Larger randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm results, particularly regarding BDNF's role.