Objective: Animal studies have suggested that maternal weight-related factors during pregnancy can program offspring physical activity in a sex-dependent manner. However, there is limited evidence in humans. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between maternal gestational weight gain (GWG) and offspring total physical activity (TPA) level and to determine whether these associations are moderated by sex of offspring or maternal pre-pregnancy weight status.
Method: We studied 56 boys (mean age = 3.7 years, standard deviation (SD) 0.5) and 57 girls (mean age = 3.5±0.5 years) enrolled in licensed childcare centers. TPA was objectively measured using Actical® accelerometers. Information on pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), GWG, and other maternal factors were collected with a maternal health questionnaire. Associations between GWG, as a continuous variable or categorically (inadequate, adequate, and excessive), and offspring TPA were analysed using linear mixed models to take into account the intraclass correlation between the clusters (childcare centers). Models were adjusted for gestational age, accelerometer weartime, socioeconomic status, and pre-pregnancy BMI status.
Results: We found a significant sex interaction (P-value = 0.009). In boys, greater GWG was associated with decreased offspring TPA (β = -3.2 counts⋅1000-1/d, 95% confidence intervals (CI) = -6.4-0.02, P-value = 0.049). In girls born to mothers categorized as overweight or obese, the association between the GWG and TPA followed an inverted U-shape curve (β for GWG squared = -0.1 counts⋅1000-1/d, 95% CI = (-0.2 --0.04), P-value = 0.005). In contrast, a U-shaped curve was found in girls born to mothers classified as lean (pre-pregnancy BMI<25 kg/m2) (β for GWG squared = 0.7 counts⋅1000-1/d, 95% CI = 0.2-1.2, P-value = 0.011). In boys, TPA in offspring was higher among women with inadequate GWG compared to adequate GWG (P-value = 0.0137), whereas no significant differences were found in girls (P-value = 0.107).
Conclusion: Maternal GWG can be an important biological marker of offspring TPA. These findings support the sex-dependent early developmental programming influence of GWG on TPA.