The effects of type of exercise during pregnancy on infant morphometric measurements

ECU Author/Contributor (non-ECU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)

Breanna Arbuco (Creator)

Institution

East Carolina University (ECU )

Web Site: http://www.ecu.edu/lib/

Abstract: PURPOSE: Research suggests that aerobic exercise may produce beneficial morphometric outcomes , decreased adiposity , for the infant. However , little research has been done on the influence of other maternal exercise types at recommended exercise levels on infant morphometric outcomes , specifically at one-month. The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of aerobic , resistance , and combination training at recommended guideline levels during pregnancy on one-month-old infant body composition , including body fat percentage , BMI , and fat-free mass. METHODS: Participants were randomized into four groups , resistance (n=16) , aerobic (n=40) , combination (n=18) and non-exercising control (n=34) and performed 150 minutes/week of supervised exercise from 16 weeks gestation until delivery. At one month of age , body composition measurements including skinfolds , circumferences , and BMI were assessed. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between groups regarding infant body fat percentage , infant BMI , and infant fat-free mass. However , when controlling for Gravida and Pre-pregnancy BMI , a significant difference was found in infant body fat percentage between the aerobic (12.1%) and control (14.3%) groups (p=0.02) and the aerobic (12.1%) and combination (15.9%) groups (p=0.003) CONCLUSION: Aerobic exercise appears to have the most beneficial outcomes on infant body fat percentage. However , additional research should be done with more reliable measurement techniques such as MRI for infant fat-free mass.

Additional Information

Publication

Thesis

Language: English

Date: 2019

Keywords

One-Month: Body Composition

Subjects

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