Does “Sitting” Stand Alone? A Brief Report Evaluating the Effects of Prenatal Sedentary Time on Maternal and Newborn Anthropometric Outcomes

Abstract

Background: Research on sedentary behavior and effects on maternal and newborn outcomes has been inconclusive. The objective of this report was to correlate sedentary time with maternal and fetal anthropometric measurements and compare the effect on sedentary time based on meeting prenatal activity guidelines. Methods: Healthy pregnant women (N = 61) in their second trimester (24–28 wk gestation) provided 7-day accelerometry data. Outcomes, including neonatal weight, length, and body fat percentage, were collected 24 to 48 hours after delivery. Placenta weight was measured immediately after delivery. Gestational weight gain was calculated by subtracting self-reported prepregnancy weight from measured weight at 38 weeks gestation. Correlations between sedentary time and outcomes were tested with Spearman and Pearson coefficient of correlations in all women separately and in accordance with the 2019 Canadian prenatal exercise guidelines. Results: No significant associations were found between sedentary time and the selected outcomes, even when compared by prenatal exercise level. There was no difference in total time spent sedentary between active (576.7 [52.8] min) and inactive women (599.3 [51.6] min). Conclusions: Meeting exercise recommendations during pregnancy does not significantly decrease total sedentary time. Future studies should aim to evaluate the health effects of both decreasing sedentary time and meeting prenatal exercise guidelines.

Physical Activity during Pregnancy and Newborn Body Composition: A Systematic Review

“…The remaining 83 studies were further evaluated based on full text, and 51 articles were excluded for wrong publication type ( n = 26) (i.e., systematic review, study protocol, cohort characteristics report, conference presentation, book), wrong study design ( n = 7), and wrong outcome ( n = 23) (i.e., ineligible infant measurements); 32 articles were included for evaluation. Of these, 13 were randomized controlled trials [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ], 16 were single-arm cohort studies [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 ], and 3 were case-control studies [ 5 , 6 , 46 ].…”

The ‘new normal’ includes online prenatal exercise: Exploring pregnant women’s experiences during the pandemic and the role of virtual group fitness on maternal mental health

“…Furthermore, a recent study that assessed prenatal sedentary time and exercise measured by accelerometers, found that increasing participation in moderate to vigorous exercise does not decrease time spent sedentary throughout the day. 47 This suggests that although adherence to structured online exercise classes may improve due to the availability of time during con nement and virtual options, future studies should build on our work by also targeting the remainder of the day to decrease sedentary time. Irrespective of sedentary time, making time for structured exercise is integral to improving maternal mental health as studies have consistently shown exercising at least 3 times per week at a moderate intensity for a total of 150 minutes per week can reduce prenatal depressive symptoms and stress 12,25 .…”