Dietary and physical activity changes among obese pregnant women benefit their children's health. Digest
Evidence suggests that children born to women with obesity are at greater risk of developing health problems, including obesity, later in life. Findings from a new study suggest that dietary and physical activity changes during pregnancy improve the health of children born to women with obesity.
The intervention study involved more than 500 children and their mothers before, during, and three years after pregnancy. The women received dietary and physical activity counseling in the early stages of pregnancy and received a pedometer to track their activity.
When the children were three years old, the authors of the study measured the children’s blood pressure, resting pulse rate, and adiposity (body mass index, skinfold thicknesses, body fat, and waist and arm circumferences). They also evaluated the mothers' diets and physical activity and measured their adiposity.
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The children whose mothers engaged in healthier lifestyles had lower resting heart rates and were 27 percent less likely to be obese at the age of three years. The women maintained some of their healthy lifestyle behaviors as evidenced by reduced intake of foods high in sugars and saturated fat.
These findings suggest that dietary and physical activity interventions during pregnancy can benefit the children of women with obesity. The authors noted that the benefits observed in this study were modest, however, and had no effects on childhood obesity. More effective interventions are needed to elicit greater health effects.