Measuring 24-hour Movement Profiles During Pregnancy: Protocol for the 24MOVE Prospective Cohort Study.

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Physical activity and sleep are crucial for mitigating risks associated with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) in overweight/obese pregnancies.
• A 24-hour movement framework integrating physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep is emerging, but its impact on pregnancy outcomes needs further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the protocol for the 24MOVE prospective cohort study.
• To examine associations between 24-hour movement profiles throughout pregnancy and maternal glucose tolerance, GWG, and infant birthweight.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 306 participants with pre-pregnancy BMI ≥25 kg/m² at 10 weeks' gestation.
• Collected sociodemographic data, pregnancy symptoms, and sleep quality via online surveys.
• Utilized research-grade accelerometers for 7 consecutive days per trimester to capture movement, sedentary behavior, and sleep data.
• Employed compositional data analysis (CoDA) to model the reallocation of time between behaviors and its association with outcomes.

Main Results:

• Recruitment spanned 18 months, enrolling 306 of 2035 invited individuals (15% eligibility rate).
• The cohort's median age was 33 years, with a median BMI of 28.8 kg/m².
• Most participants had private insurance (86.9%) and were multiparous (75.8%).
• Data analysis is currently in progress.

Conclusions:

• The 24MOVE study protocol is established to address knowledge gaps regarding 24-hour movement's impact on maternal health and fetal development.
• Findings will elucidate the influence of movement behaviors on glucose metabolism, GWG, and birthweight, informing interventions for childhood obesity risk factors.
• The study data will provide a valuable resource for future research on behavior substitution and perinatal health outcomes.