Association between exercise during pregnancy and the risk of obesity in the offspring: Epidemiological study.

Abstract

Adulthood obesity often has its roots to childhood. The main goal of this study was to identify relationships between maternal lifestyle choices as exercise and offspring obesity status from birth until early adulthood. Α random sample of 1,287 children was extracted from a national database and matched with their mothers. With the use of a standardised questionnaire, telephone interviews were carried out for the collection of information like: maternal and parental data, exercise levels, etc. The average maternal age and body mass index (BMI) was 27.8±4.6 years and 22.5±3.1 kg/m2, respectively, while the mean gestational weight gain (GWG) was 14.4±6.4 kg. Almost 2 of 3 (64.9%) women reported that they didn’t exercised. GWG and BMI at the end of the pregnancy of those who exercised was lower by 1.0±0.4 kg (p=0.006) and 0.4±0.2 kg/m2 (p=0.05), respectively, in comparison to those who didn’t exercised. Weight and BMI at the age of 8 years and BMI at the adolescence/adulthood of children whose mothers exercised was lower by 0.9±0.4 kg (p=0.017), 0.4±0.1 kg/m2 (p=0.025) and 0.46±0.21 kg/m2 (p=0.03), respectively, in comparison to those who mothers didn’t exercised. Exercise during pregnancy was not associated with the odds for being overweight/obese in all the investigated periods of life.