Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27784276›Full record

SynthesisBMC pregnancy and childbirth2016

The influence of physical activity during pregnancy on maternal, fetal or infant heart rate variability: a systematic review.

Pavel Dietz, Estelle D Watson, Matteo C Sattler, Wolfgang Ruf, Sylvia Titze, Mireille van Poppel

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
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  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Review
  9. Review
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  11. Coupling Analysis of Fetal and Maternal Heart Rates via Transfer Entropy Using Magnetocardiography.Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Annual International Conference · 2018
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Pavel DietzDepartment of Physical Activity and Public Health, Institute of Sports Science, University of Graz, Mozartgasse 14, Graz, 8010, Austria. pavel.dietz@uni-graz.at.
Estelle D WatsonCentre for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, School of Therapeutic Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa.
Matteo C SattlerDepartment of Physical Activity and Public Health, Institute of Sports Science, University of Graz, Mozartgasse 14, Graz, 8010, Austria.
Wolfgang RufDepartment of Physical Activity and Public Health, Institute of Sports Science, University of Graz, Mozartgasse 14, Graz, 8010, Austria.
Sylvia TitzeDepartment of Physical Activity and Public Health, Institute of Sports Science, University of Graz, Mozartgasse 14, Graz, 8010, Austria.
Mireille van PoppelDepartment of Physical Activity and Public Health, Institute of Sports Science, University of Graz, Mozartgasse 14, Graz, 8010, Austria.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPhysical activity (PA) during pregnancy has been shown to be associated with several positive effects for mother, fetus, and offspring. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a noninvasive and surrogate marker to determine fetal overall health and the development of fetal autonomic nervous system. In addition, it has been shown to be significantly influenced by maternal behavior. However, the influence of maternal PA on HRV has not yet been systematically reviewed. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review was to assess the influence of regular maternal PA on maternal, fetal or infant HRV.

methodsA systematic literature search following a priori formulated criteria of studies that examined the influence of regular maternal PA (assessed for a minimum period of 6 weeks) on maternal, fetal or infant HRV was performed in the databases Pubmed and SPORTDiscus. Quality of each study was assessed using the standardized Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies (QATQS).

resultsNine articles were included into the present systematic review: two intervention studies, one prospective longitudinal study, and six post-hoc analysis of subsets of the longitudinal study. Of these articles four referred to maternal HRV, five to fetal HRV, and one to infant HRV. The overall global rating for the standardized quality assessment of the articles was moderate to weak. The articles regarding the influence of maternal PA on maternal HRV indicated contrary results. Five of five articles regarding the influence of maternal PA on fetal HRV showed increases of fetal HRV on most parameters depending on maternal PA. The article referring to infant HRV (measured one month postnatal) showed an increased HRV.

conclusionsBased on the current evidence available, our overall conclusion is that the hypothesis that maternal PA influences maternal HRV cannot be supported, but there is a trend that maternal PA might increase fetal and infant HRV (clinical conclusion). Therefore, we recommend that further, high quality studies addressing the influence of maternal PA on HRV should be performed (methodological conclusion).

Indexed as

Heart RateExerciseFemaleHeart Rate, FetalHumansInfantPregnancyChildbirthHeart rate variabilityOffspringPregnancyPublic healthStress

Identifiers

PMID27784276
PMCPMC5081933

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.