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Researcher tells regents: sit less, replace sitting with light activity to reduce pregnancy complications
Summary
Dr. Kara Whitaker presented results from the NIH-funded Pregnancy 24/7 cohort showing that lower sedentary time and more light-intensity activity during pregnancy were associated with substantially lower risk of hypertensive disorders and other adverse pregnancy outcomes; regents asked about diet, age and rural dissemination.
Associate Professor Kara Whitaker presented findings from the Pregnancy 24/7 cohort to the Board of Regents on Feb. 26, summarizing wearable-device measurements from roughly 500 pregnant participants and analyses linking activity patterns to pregnancy outcomes.
Whitaker said women who sat less than about 10 hours per day during pregnancy had roughly a 40% lower risk of developing one or more adverse pregnancy outcomes in the study sample, and those who accumulated five or more hours per day of light-intensity activity had about a 50% lower risk. She described a compositional analysis (a "Goldilocks" approach) that examined optimal mixes of sleep, sedentary time and light activity; shifting average sedentary time from about 10 hours to 8 hours per day was associated with an estimated absolute risk reduction for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in the study sample.
Whitaker emphasized the public-health angle: only about one in four pregnant women meet current moderate-to-vigorous activity guidelines, so interventions that reduce sitting and increase light movement may be more feasible and broadly beneficial. She also described rural–urban differences found in the cohort: rural participants reported higher consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, lower vegetable and fiber intake, lower moderate-to-vigorous activity and, when combined with lower socioeconomic status, higher stress and depression—factors that could raise risk and point to a need for targeted programs.
In question-and-answer, Whitaker said analyses adjusted for diet and that diet measures did not change the reported associations; age was included as a covariate and was not a significant driver in the models; sleep measures showed limited associations in this sample, which Whitaker attributed in part to the cohort’s relatively good sleep profiles. She said two primary outcome manuscripts are under review at high-impact journals and that future randomized trials and remote-tailored interventions for rural populations are planned.
What’s next: Whitaker said the team plans dissemination through peer-reviewed publication, media outreach and targeted presentations across Iowa and aims to test interventions that reduce sedentary time and increase light activity with remote delivery for rural communities.
