Table 1. Participants’ characteristics at 14 weeks (Visit 1).
| Mean ± SD or n (%) | Exercise group n = 25 | Control group n = 25 | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, year a | 30.5 ± 3.7 | 31.0 ± 4.0 | 0.664 |
| White b | 24 (96) | 21 (88) | 0.349 |
| Schooling ≥ bachelor degree | 15 (60) | 16 (64) | 0.771 |
| Married or living with a partner | 25 (100) | 25 (100) | 1.000 |
| Employed during 1st trimester | 16 (64) | 17 (68) | 0.765 |
| Number of work hours/wk | 35.9 ± 8.8 | 31.0 ± 11.1 | 0.287 |
| Preventive withdrawal/mandatory leave | 9 (36) | 8 (32) | 0.765 |
| Smoking before pregnancy | 1 (4) | 2 (8) | 1.000 |
| Smoking during pregnancy | 1 (4) | 0 | 1.000 |
| Parity ≥ 1 | 14 (56) | 14 (56) | 1.000 |
| Gestational age at visit 1, wk a | 13 4/7 ± 1 1/7 | 14 1/7 ± 1 0/7 | 0.053 |
| Pre-pregnancy BMI, kg/m 2 | 34.6 ± 5.4 | 33.9 ± 4.5 | 0.684 |
| Pre-pregnancy BMI by category b | - | - | 0.232 |
| Obesity class I (30–34.9 kg/m 2 ) | 17 (68) | 16 (64) | - |
| Obesity class II (35–39.9 kg/m 2 ) | 3 (12) | 7 (28) | - |
| Obesity class III (≥ 40 kg/m 2 ) | 5 (20) | 2 (8) | - |
| Pre-pregnancy weight, kg | 93.4 ± 17.6 | 90.7 ± 13.9 | 0.907 |
| Gestational weight gain at visit 1, kg a | 1.6 ± 2.1 | 1.1 ± 3.3 | 0.539 |
| BMI at visit 1, kg/m 2 | 35.2 ± 5.4 | 34.3 ± 4.1 | 0.877 |
| Total self-reported pre-pregnancy energy expenditure (PPAQ), METs·h/wk | 243.4 ± 98.1 | 305.3 ± 174.5 | 0.036 |
| Energy expenditure by intensity, METs·h/wk | - | - | - |
| Sedentary | 80.4 ± 26.7 | 81.1 ± 32.6 | 0.946 |
| Light | 83.7 ± 46.3 | 110.1 ± 58.1 | 0.099 |
| Moderate | 72.8 ± 71.2 | 104.7 ± 117.8 | 0.076 |
| Vigorous | 6.5 ± 7.5 | 9.4 ± 14.3 | 0.968 |
| Energy expenditure by type, METs·h/wk | - | - | - |
| Household and care giving | 76.1 ± 54.6 | 113.6 ± 75.7 | 0.060 |
| Occupational activity | 96.3 ± 40.5 | 104.8 ± 104.3 | 0.857 |
| Sports and exercise | 17.8 ± 12.2 | 18.6 ± 17.6 | 0.698 |
| Transportation | 27.0 ± 24.6 | 27.7 ± 16.5 | 0.341 |
aStudent t-test (other continuous variables evaluated using Wilcoxon rank sum test)
bFisher exact test (other categorical variables evaluated using χ2).