Beneficial Effects of Maternal Physical Activity during Pregnancy on Fetal, Newborn, and Child Health: Guidelines for Interventions during the Perinatal Period from the French National College of Midwives

Benjamin Guinhouya (1) , Martine Duclos (2, 3, 4) , Carina Enea (5) , Laurent Storme (6, 7, 1)

1 METRICS - Evaluation des technologies de santé et des pratiques médicales - ULR 2694
2 UNH - Unité de Nutrition Humaine
3 CHU Clermont-Ferrand
4 CRNH A - Centre de Recherche en Nutrition Humaine Auvergne [CHU Clermont-Ferrand]
5 MOVE [Poitiers] - Laboratoire Mobilité, Vieillissement, Exercice
6 Université de Lille
7 CHRU Lille - Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire [CHU Lille]

The objective of this work is to synthesize current knowledge about the effects of maternal physical activity during pregnancy on children's health. During the prenatal and postnatal periods, maternal physical activity has protective effects against the risks of macrosomia, obesity, and other associated cardiometabolic disorders. Even though longitudinal studies in humans are still necessary to validate them, these effects have been consistently observed in animal studies. A remarkable effect of maternal physical activity is its positive role on neurogenesis, language development, memory, and other cognitive functions related to learning.

Mots clés: epigenetic; health capital; microbiota; movement; pregnancy

Domaines: Médecine humaine et pathologie

Benjamin Guinhouya, Martine Duclos, Carina Enea, Laurent Storme. Beneficial Effects of Maternal Physical Activity during Pregnancy on Fetal, Newborn, and Child Health: Guidelines for Interventions during the Perinatal Period from the French National College of Midwives. Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health, 2022, 67 (S1), ⟨10.1111/jmwh.13424⟩. ⟨hal-04016656⟩