Effects of Aerobic Exercise during Pregnancy on One-Month Infant Neuromotor Skills

Purpose To determine the effects of exercise during pregnancy on the neuromotor development of one-month old offspring. We hypothesized that aerobic exercise during pregnancy would be associated with higher neuromotor scores in infants at one month of age, based on standard pediatric assessment of neuromotor skills. Methods Seventy-one healthy, pregnant women between 18-35 years were randomly assigned to either aerobic exercise intervention or no exercise (control) group. Women in the exercise group performed 50 minutes of moderate-intensity, supervised aerobic exercise, three times per week; those in control group maintained usual activity. Neuromotor skills were measured at one month of age using the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales, 2nd Edition (PDMS-2). Unpaired t-tests were used to compare infants' PDMS-2 subtest percentiles, Gross Motor Quotients (GMQ), and GMQ percentile between groups. Results Infants of women in the exercise group had higher PDMS-2 scores on four of the five variables analyzed relative to infants of non-exercisers. Female infants tended to have improved scores relative to male infants of controls; this difference was attenuated in infants of exercisers. Conclusions Exercise during pregnancy can positively influence developing systems allowing for improved neuromotor development, thus leading to infants who are more adept at movement, and presumably more likely to be active. Since physical activity is a modifiable risk factor of childhood obesity, these findings suggest exercise during pregnancy may potentially reduce childhood risk of obesity. Correspondence: Linda May, MS, PhD, FAHA. 1851 MacGregor Downs Rd, Greenville, NC 27834. 252-737-7072 (phone). 252-737-7757 (fax). mayl@ecu.edu This study was funded, in part, by the American Heart Association (AHA grant #15GRNT24470029 to LEM) and by East Carolina University for funds to collect the data. The authors have no potential, perceived, or real conflict of interest to disclose in regards to professional relationships with companies or manufacturers. The study sponsors had no influence on the study design, interpretation of data, writing of the manuscript, nor decision to submit the manuscript. The results of the present study do not constitute endorsement by ACSM. The results of the study are presented clearly, honestly, and without fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate data manipulation. Accepted for publication: 17 February 2019. © 2019 American College of Sports Medicine

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