| Summary |
Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of exercise type during pregnancy on an infant's cardiac and autonomic nervous systems at one month of age. This research is essential because of the increasing development of cardiovascular disease in adults and children. Learning what type of gestational exercise influences the cardiac and autonomic nervous system could program the next generation for a healthier life before birth. If an infant is born with these changes, then the likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease, and its risk factors, might be decreased. I hypothesize that the groups exercising at moderate intensity (aerobic, combination, and resistance) will have improved infant heart outcomes compared to the control group (stretching/breathing). Method: Data was collected from 74 pregnant women who completed the research study. These women also returned with their infant for a follow-up visit at one month of age. Throughout the period of study, women completed 50-minute sessions three times per week from 16 weeks to the time of delivery. Women were trained in aerobic, resistance, combination (aerobic+resistance), or stretching/breathing (control) exercises. At the one-month infant visits, cardiac and autonomic nervous system data (i.e., heart rate= HR, heart rate variability= HRV, and breathing rate) were measured via Hexoskin Smart Garment technology. All tests performed were set to an alpha level of .05 and a power of 95%. All analysis tests were done using IBM SPSS Statistics Version 28. For regression analysis, exercise groups were given numbers based on increasing intensity.Results: When comparing maternal and infant descriptors between groups, maternal pre-pregnancy BMI (body mass index) was different between groups (p=.03). There were no other differences in maternal and infant descriptors between groups. Post-hoc Tukey analysis indicates these differences are between Resistance to Combination (p=0.01), as well as Resistance to Control (p=0.01). Regression analysis indicates exercise group, numbered by intensity, predicts one-month-old infant HR (p=.03). Similarly, gestational age is a predictor of one-month-old infant RMSSD (p=.03). Although not significant, the trends of large effect sizes demonstrate that male infants have increased HRV and lower resting HR indicative of more mature autonomics relative to their female counterparts. Discussion: Based on infant outcomes, the data demonstrates all exercise modes are safe to perform while pregnant. It also shows a relationship between exercise intensity and one-month infant resting heart rate. Male infants also have more mature cardiac autonomic nervous system measures. Further research is necessary to determine if these patterns persist with a larger sample and as the infants develop. This research will allow a better understanding of how moderate intensity exercise during pregnancy affects infant cardiac and autonomic nervous system. That knowledge, if applied, could decrease the chance of offspring developing CVD and its risk factors before birth, thus, ultimately decrease the deaths caused by CVD in the next generation. |
