Physical Activity and Vascular Health During Pregnancy

February 27, 2019 updated by: Áine Brislane, Liverpool John Moores University

Can Physical Activity During Pregnancy Improve Maternal and Offspring Vascular Health?

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of aerobic exercise on maternal and offspring vascular health.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Unknown

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The study will comprise of a randomised pilot trial to assess the effect of a moderate intensity exercise intervention on maternal and offspring vascular health. Participants will be recruited in the first trimester (T1, 10-12 weeks' gestation), and will be randomized to either a 24-week, structured and partially supervised, gym-based exercise intervention beginning in trimester 2 (T2) through to trimester 3 (T3), or a non-exercise control group who receive normal clinical care. The inclusion of this non-exercise control group is critical in allowing us to create an understanding of the adaptation of the vascular system during a normal (non-exercising) pregnancy, and also determining the physical activity and sedentary behaviour engaged in during normal healthy pregnancy. All participants will be asked to attend the laboratory at Liverpool John Moores University on 4 separate occasions synchronised with the end point of each trimester and then within four weeks of delivery. Maternal vascular health, physical activity, sedentary behaviour and fitness will be assessed during each time point throughout pregnancy while the fourth visit will comprise of an offspring vascular assessment. The investigators will also gain information on delivery outcomes including pre-term delivery, complications during labour, induction of labour, caesarean sections and post-partum haemorrhage via medical notes at the Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Anticipated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
20

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United Kingdom
    • Merseyside
      • Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom, L33AF
        • Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences (RISES)

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 45 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Healthy pregnant female
  • No history of cardiovascular disease, gestational diabetes or pre-eclampsia
  • Single gestation
  • Not on medication affecting cardiovascular health
  • A non-smoker for at least 6 months
  • Participating in structured exercise <twice/week
  • BMI <30kg/m^2 -

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) contraindications for pregnancy
  • Pregnant by in-vitro fertilisation (IVF)exercise
  • BMI >30kg/m^2
  • >45 years old
  • Structured exercise >twice/week
  • Multiple gestation
  • Disability preventing ambulation
  • Currently smoking or smoking within past 6 months prior to pregnancy
  • Non-English speaking women

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Exercise
Participants randomized to the exercise intervention group will be required to complete a 24-wk partially supervised exercise programme consisting of 3-4 sessions per week of 15 minutes progressing to 30 minutes over time.
Other: Exercise
Previously inactive pregnant women will be asked to complete 3-4 sessions of aerobic exercise each week for 24 weeks of 15-30 minutes in duration.
No Intervention: Control
Those randomized to the control group will continue with their standard care.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Vascular Function
Time Frame: Change from baseline at week 24 and 36 of pregnancy
Vascular function will be measured via endothelial-dependent flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial and femoral arteries and reported as percentage change.
Change from baseline at week 24 and 36 of pregnancy

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Sedentary behaviour
Time Frame: Change from baseline at week 24 and 36 of pregnancy
Sedentary behaviour will be measured using an inclinometer at the end of each trimester for a period of 7 days in line with the accelerometer monitoring and will be reported in minutes.
Change from baseline at week 24 and 36 of pregnancy
Change in Physical activity
Time Frame: Change from baseline at week 24 and 36 of pregnancy
Physical activity will be monitored for a period of 7 days using accelerometry at the end of each trimester.
Change from baseline at week 24 and 36 of pregnancy
Incidence of Pregnancy specific outcomes
Time Frame: Following delivery and within 4 weeks
Following delivery the investigator will obtain information regarding pregnancy specific outcomes including pre-term birth, delivery complications, induction of labour, caesarean section and post-partum haemorrhage via medical notes at the collaborating hospital.
Following delivery and within 4 weeks

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Offspring Vascular Structure
Time Frame: Assessed within 4 weeks of delivery
Offspring vascular structure will be assessed at the abdominal aorta site using ultrasound imaging. Wall thickness will be measured at three different angles of an optimised ultrasound image. The image will be adjusted so that artery wall thickness can be clearly seen and a 30 second recording taken at three different angles. The average of the three angles will be calculated for each artery. Results will be reported as change in millimetres at each time point for each artery assessed.
Assessed within 4 weeks of delivery
Change in Cerebrovascular Function
Time Frame: Change from baseline at week 24 and 36 of pregnancy
Change in cerebrovascular function will be assessed using transcranial Doppler ultrasound to measure brain blood flow velocity.
Change from baseline at week 24 and 36 of pregnancy
Change in Vascular Structure
Time Frame: Change from baseline at week 24 and 36 of pregnancy
Vascular structure will be measured at carotid, femoral and brachial arteries using ultrasound imaging to clearly visualise the artery. The image will be adjusted so that artery wall thickness can be clearly seen and a 30 second recording taken at three different angles. The average of the three angles will be calculated for each artery. Results will be reported as change in millimetres at each time point for each artery assessed.
Change from baseline at week 24 and 36 of pregnancy

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Liverpool John Moores University

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Director: Nicola Hopkins, PhD, Dr.

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
April 23, 2017

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
May 30, 2019

Study Completion (Anticipated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
August 3, 2019

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
February 28, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 8, 2017

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 14, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
February 28, 2019

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 27, 2019

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
February 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 17/NW/0056

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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