title: Impact of an exercise intervention on physical activity during pregnancy: the behaviors affecting baby and you study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We examined the impact of a prenatal exercise intervention on physical activity in 260 women at risk for gestational diabetes mellitus.
  
  
  METHODS
  We randomized participants in the Behaviors Affecting Baby and You (BABY) Study, which took place from 2007 to 2012, to either a 12-week individually tailored, motivationally matched exercise intervention (n=132) or to a comparison health and wellness intervention (n=128). We assessed physical activity with the Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire. We used linear mixed models to evaluate the impact of the interventions on change in physical activity according to intensity and type, total walking, and sedentary behavior.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the health and wellness arm, the exercise arm had significantly greater increases in sports or exercise activity (0.3 vs 5.3 metabolic equivalent of task [MET] hours/week; P<.001), and smaller declines in total activity (-42.7 vs -2.1 MET hours/week; P=.02) and activities of moderate to vigorous intensity (-30.6 vs -10.6 MET hours/week; P=.05), and was more likely to achieve recommended guidelines for physical activity (odds ratio=2.12; 95% confidence interval=1.45, 3.10).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings extend the previous literature by demonstrating the benefits of a clinically feasible exercise intervention in an ethnically and socio-economically diverse population. Given the increased risk of adverse maternal health outcomes in ethnic minority groups, these findings may have important implications for reducing health disparities.
authors.affiliation: Marquis Hawkins, Lisa Chasan-Taber, and Edward Stanek are with the Division of Biostatistics & Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, School of Public Health & Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Bess Marcus is with the Department Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California San Diego School of Medicine. Barry Braun is with the Department of Kinesiology, School of Public Health & Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts. Joe Ciccolo is with Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY. Glenn Markenson is with the Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA.
authors.forename: Marquis
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hawkins
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chasan-Taber
authors.forename: Bess
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Marcus
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stanek
authors.forename: Barry
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Braun
authors.forename: Joe
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ciccolo
authors.forename: Glenn
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Markenson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016640:Diabetes, Gestational / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D015438:Health Behavior; D006266:Health Education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D009042:Motivation; D011247:Pregnancy; D012307:Risk Factors; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult