Objectively Measured Sedentary Behavior and Physical Activity Across 3 Trimesters of Pregnancy: The Monitoring Movement and Health Study

Abstract

Background: Though moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity is recommended, limited research exists on sedentary behavior (SED) during pregnancy.

Methods: The authors conducted a prospective cohort study to describe objectively measured patterns of SED and activity during each trimester of pregnancy. Women wore thigh- (activPAL3) and waist-mounted (ActiGraph GT3X) activity monitors. SED and activity were compared across trimesters using likelihood ratio tests and described using group-based trajectories. Exploratory analyses associated SED and activity trajectories with adverse pregnancy outcomes and excessive gestational weight gain.

Results: Pregnant women (n = 105; mean [SD] age = 31 [5] y; prepregnancy body mass index = 26.2 [6.6] kg/m2) had mean SED of 9.7, 9.5, and 9.5 hours per day (P = .062) across trimesters, respectively. Some activities differed across trimesters: standing (increased, P = .01), stepping (highest in second trimester, P = .04), steps per day (highest in second trimester, P = .008), and moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (decreased, P < .001). Prolonged SED (bouts ≥ 30 min) and bouted moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (≥10 min) were stable (P > .05). In exploratory analyses, higher SED and lower standing, stepping, and steps per day trajectories were associated with increased odds of adverse pregnancy outcomes (P < .05). No trajectories were associated with excessive gestational weight gain.

Conclusions: Pregnant women exhibited stable SED of nearly 10 hours per day across pregnancy. Future research evaluating SED across pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcome risk is warranted.

Keywords: accelerometry; epidemiology; sitting/standing.

Figures

Figure 1.. SED (A), Prolonged SED (B), Standing (C), Stepping (D), Steps/day (E), MVPA (F), and Bouted MVPA (G) Trajectories across Pregnancy Trimesters among Women in the MoM Health Study.

Values represent the average time spent in each beahvior by trajectory, averaged across trimesers and standardized to the overall average wear time (15.1 hr per day). *Normalized to average wear time Abbreviations: MVPA, moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity; hr, hour; min, minutes; SED, sedentary behavior