TOPLINE:

Higher levels of sedentary behaviour in early to mid-pregnancy were associated with an increased risk for preeclampsia — especially severe and preterm forms, whereas higher levels of physical activity were associated with a lower risk across all preeclampsia subtypes.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a cohort study (2016-2023) to evaluate associations between objectively measured sedentary behaviour and physical activity levels in early to mid-pregnancy and obstetric outcomes.
• They included 1405 pregnant women (mean maternal age, 31.5 years) who presented for either an early ultrasound scan or the second trimester ultrasound examination.
• Accelerometers were used to measure sedentary behaviour and physical activity levels over 7 consecutive days.
• Sedentary behaviour and physical activity levels were measured at gestational weeks 8-23; participants were grouped into tertiles on the basis of the percentage of time spent being sedentary (cutoff point, ≥ 64.5% for most and ≤ 55.9% for least) and physically active (cutoff point, ≥ 29.1% for most and ≤ 21.1% for least).
• Obstetric outcomes evaluated were gestational hypertension, preeclampsia (all types, severe, preterm, and term), gestational diabetes, labour dystocia, mode of delivery, and severe postpartum haemorrhage.

TAKEAWAY:

• Women in the most sedentary tertile had higher odds of preeclampsia overall (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 3.22; P = .004), and specifically of severe preeclampsia (aOR, 9.84; P = .046) and preterm preeclampsia (aOR, 5.61; P = .045), than those in the least sedentary tertile.
• Women in the most physically active tertile had lower odds of any preeclampsia (aOR, 0.22; P < .001), severe preeclampsia (aOR, 0.08; P = .019), preterm preeclampsia (aOR, 0.08; P = .023), and term preeclampsia (aOR, 0.31; P = .010) than those in the least physically active tertile.
• No significant associations were found between sedentary behaviour or physical activity levels and other obstetric outcomes.

IN PRACTICE:

"Reduced sedentary time and increased physical activity are important non-pharmacological interventions to prevent hypertension and cardiovascular disease in non-pregnant individuals," the authors wrote.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Emelie Lindberger, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden, and was published online on October 13, 2025, in Scientific Reports.

LIMITATIONS:

The observational study design only allowed the assessment of associations rather than causality. A large proportion of participants were not included due to non-compliance, technical difficulties, insufficient wear time, or loss to follow-up.

DISCLOSURES:

Open access funding for this study was provided by Uppsala University. The authors declared having no competing interests.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.