Abstract
Early childhood motor development is an important indicator of short- and long-term health. In utero exposures impact offspring health across the lifespan; however, whether maternal activity during pregnancy may impact early childhood motor development remains unknown. This prospective cohort study measured the motor development skills of n = 70 children born to mothers from a previously conducted cohort study which objectively measured activity profile, (sedentary behavior (SED) and moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA), across pregnancy. Mothers reported the motor development of their child using the Early Motor Questionnaire (EMQ). Linear regression models examined associations between maternal activity profile and EMQ scores. Maternal SED and MVPA were analyzed in two ways: trimester-specific and across pregnancy using trajectory groups. Children were 12–30 months of age, majority white (82%), and 52% male. Maternal SED during pregnancy was not associated with any EMQ domains (gross motor, fine motor, and perception action). Higher maternal MVPA, across pregnancy by trajectory group and in the first and second trimesters, was significantly associated with moderate-sized effects of more advanced fine motor and perception action scores. Higher MVPA in early pregnancy appears to be related to more advanced early childhood motor development. Therefore, maternal MVPA may be a modifiable behavior by which short- and long-term offspring health may be impacted.
Highlights
The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) theory focuses on the fetal environment as the earliest determinant of short- and long-term health risks in offspring [1]
The main findings are that maternal moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA), but not sedentary behavior (SED), during pregnancy is related to early childhood motor development
While we cannot say for certain that the mechanisms by which MVPA in pregnancy may lead to more advanced motor development in early childhood as we did not formally study these, we propose two possibilities
Summary
The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) theory focuses on the fetal environment as the earliest determinant of short- and long-term health risks in offspring [1]. An improved understanding of modifiable behaviors during pregnancy that may impact the fetal environment and offspring health is needed. One potential modifiable behavior is maternal activity profile, including sedentary behavior (SED), defined as low-intensity behaviors in a sitting, reclining, or lying position [4], and moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) during pregnancy. These behaviors affect the fetal environment through nutrient delivery, placental alterations, and energy metabolism [5,6]. More research is needed to understand how maternal SED and MVPA may impact early childhood health
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