Pregnancy activity, sitting, and sleep and how they affect baby health
Official title: Sedentary behavior, physical activity, and 24-hour behavior in pregnancy and offspring health: the Pregnancy 24/7 Offspring Study
Funded at University of Iowa · NIH-11372056 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how a pregnant person's daily activity, time spent sitting, and sleep relate to their child's weight and heart health during the first two years of life.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Iowa NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Iowa City, United States) |
| Project start | April 17, 2023 |
| Project end | February 29, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $623,719 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL164662-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11372056 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are pregnant adults (including those enrolled in early pregnancy, often first trimester), generally age 21 or older, who can wear monitoring devices and agree to follow-up visits for their child through 24 months.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not pregnant, who cannot commit to wearing monitors or attending follow-up visits, or whose children are already older than the newborn period would not be able to participate or directly benefit.
What this research studies
If you join, you'll wear activity and sleep monitors during pregnancy so researchers can capture how much you sit, move at moderate-to-vigorous levels, and sleep across 24 hours. The team will follow your baby after birth and measure growth and early heart health up to 24 months. They will use new statistical methods to find the patterns of daily behaviors in pregnancy that are linked with lower risk of childhood obesity and cardiovascular risk. Participation involves regular visits and sharing health and behavior information for you and your child.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to practical activity and sleep targets during pregnancy that help lower a child's risk of obesity and early heart-related problems.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has linked maternal activity to some birth and child outcomes, but few studies have examined full 24-hour activity/sleep compositions during pregnancy and their effects on child obesity and cardiovascular risk through 24 months, so this approach is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Iowa
Iowa City, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Whitaker, Kara Marie — University of Iowa
- Study coordinator: Whitaker, Kara Marie
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.