Purpose: To investigate the potential associations of maternal prepregnancy body mass index (mppBMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) with physical fitness in children.
Methods: A random sample of 5125 children and their mothers was evaluated. The mothers provided data contained in their medical booklets and pregnancy ultrasound records. The data from 5 physical fitness tests (eg, 20-m shuttle run, 30-m sprint, vertical jump, standing long jump, and small ball throw) were used to assess children's cardiorespiratory fitness, speed, explosive power, and lower and upper body strength, respectively.
Results: MppBMI was inversely associated with cardiorespiratory fitness (b = -0.02), lower body strength (b = -1.01), upper body strength (b = -0.07), and speed (b = 0.04). Also, GWG was unfavorably associated with cardiorespiratory fitness (b = -0.02), lower body strength (b = -1.12), upper body strength (b = -0.03), and speed (b = 0.03), after adjusting for sex, birth weight, and children's BMI (all P values < .05). Children of mothers with an mppBMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 and excess GWG had almost 30% and 20% increased odds for low performances in physical fitness tests than those of mothers with an mppBMI < 25 kg/m2 and adequate GWG, respectively.
Conclusions: Antenatal factors such as increased mppBMI and excess GWG could play an unfavorable role in the future health of the offspring.
Keywords: children; obesity; performance; perinatal factors; test.