Physical activity, maternal weight gain, and postpartum weight

retention of participants in the OSHU Pregnancy, Exercise, and

Nutrition study
Madeline Kinzly, Esther Moe, Maggie McLain McDonnell, Kate Haas,
Linn Goldberg, Diane Stadler.
Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR
Background
Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) of 30
minutes/day at least 4 days/week is recommended during pregnancy
to promote appropriate gestational weight gain (GWG). Only about
15% of all women in the United States meet this recommendation
during pregnancy. Weight gain during pregnancy and return to prepregnancy weight are important predictors of maternal and fetal health
outcomes.
Methods
Physical activity (PA) was measured in 28 pregnant women using
Actigraph accelerometers worn on the right hip during waking hours for
7 consecutive days each trimester and at three-months postpartum.
Wear-time compliance was defined as 6 hours/day for 4 days in
each 7-day period. Women were characterized as normal weight (NW)
or overweight (OW) based on pre-pregnancy BMI, and as meeting or
exceeding GWG recommendations. Odds ratios and t-tests were used
to estimate the relationships between pre-pregnancy weight status and
PA level and PA level and GWG.
Results
MVPA declined with duration of gestation, NW women spent 43
19 (5.7%), 33 17 (4.2%), and 30 20 (3.8%) minutes/day
performing MVPA during the first, second, and third trimester,
respectively; OW women spent 26 14 (3.3%), 22 14 (2.9%), and 20
15 (2.5%) minutes/day performing MVPA during the first, second,
and third trimester, respectively. Percent time performing MVPA was
significantly lower in OW than NW women during the first trimester
(62%, CI:41.7-92.5%, p=0.02). During the first trimester, NW woman
were 6.0 times (CI:1.11-32.6, p=0.03) more likely to meet PA
recommendations than OW women. Women who met PA
recommendations during any trimester of pregnancy were not more
likely to meet GWG recommendations than those who did not. At threemonths postpartum, of total accelerometer wear-time, NW women
spent 3.7% performing MVPA; OW women spent 1.9% performing
MVPA. Women who performed more minutes/day of MVPA did not lose
more weight (as a % of weight gain during pregnancy) at three-months
postpartum, regardless of pre-pregnancy weight status.
Conclusions
Women who met the PA recommendation were not more likely to
gain appropriate weight or lose more weight by three-months
1

postpartum. However, because of our small sample size, this

conclusion needs to be interpreted with caution. Instead, we support
the recommendation to design, implement and test more effective
interventions to increase PA during pregnancy and postpartum to
support healthy maternal and infant outcomes in both the short- and
long-term.