On Wednesday the 29th of June, Caroline Borup Roland will defend her PhD thesis: "Effects of physical activity during pregnancy on health of mother and child - a PhD project based on results from the FitMum randomized controlled trial".
Supervisors:
Professor Bente Merete Stallknecht, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Co-supervisors
Associate professor Jakob Eg Larsen (primary co-supervisor), Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
Professor Ellen Christine Leth Løkkegaard, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Nordsjællands Hospital, Hillerød, Denmark
Clinical research associate professor Tine Dalsgaard Clausen, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Nordsjællands Hospital, Hillerød, Denmark
Clinical midwife specialist, postdoc Jane Bendix, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Nordsjællands Hospital, Hillerød, Denmark
Associate professor Stig Mølsted, Department of Clinical Research, Nordsjællands Hospital, Hillerød, Denmark
Opponents
Professor Kristine Færch (chair), Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, Denmark
Associate professor Kristi Adamo, The School of Human Kinetics and the Faculty of Medicine (Pediatrics), University of Ottawa, Canada
Professor Niels Jessen, Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus, Denmark
PhD thesis Title: Effects of physical activity during pregnancy on health of mother and child - a PhD project based on results from the FitMum randomized controlled trial
Summary:
Physical activity during pregnancy can improve health of mother and offspring, but it is unclear which exercise approaches are most efficient and which underlying mechanisms are involved in the exercise-induced improvements of maternal and offspring health. The main objective of this PhD project was to investigate the effects of two different physical activity interventions during pregnancy; structured supervised exercise training versus motivational counselling on physical activity, on clinical health outcomes in healthy inactive pregnant women and their offspring compared to standard care, and to explore possible underlying mechanisms for improved offspring health.
Presenting data from the FitMum randomized controlled trial conducted at Nordsjællands Hospital, Hillerød, this PhD project showed no effect of any of the two interventions on gestational weight gain and obstetric and neonatal outcomes compared to standard care. The interventions did not elicit major metabolite or lipid changes in human breast milk, but changed some metabolites and lipids compared to standard care.
Collectively, this PhD project provides a greater insight into how different physical activity approaches during pregnancy affect maternal and offspring health, as well as into possible maternally exercise-induced adaptations involved in improvements in offspring health.