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Observational Study
. 2021 Feb;11(1):e12422.
doi: 10.1111/cob.12422. Epub 2020 Oct 30.

Prenatal exposure to gestational diabetes is associated with anxiety and physical inactivity in children during COVID-19

Jasmin M Alves  1   2 , Alexandra G Yunker  1   2 , Alexis DeFendis  1   2 , Anny H Xiang  3 , Kathleen A Page  1   2
Affiliations
Observational Study

Prenatal exposure to gestational diabetes is associated with anxiety and physical inactivity in children during COVID-19

Jasmin M Alves et al. Clin Obes. 2021 Feb.

Abstract

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with adverse child mental health outcomes and reduced physical activity. Moreover, prenatal exposure to gestational diabetes (GDM) is associated with increased risk for adverse psychological outcomes in children.

Objectives: Assess prenatal exposure to GDM on anxiety levels and physical activity in children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Sixty-five children age 9 to 15 reported their physical activity and anxiety levels using the 24-hours physical activity recall and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children via phone or video meetings. Prenatal exposure to GDM was obtained from maternal electronic medical records.

Results: The 38 GDM-exposed children reported significantly higher anxiety levels and were less likely to engage in any vigorous physical activity (VPA) (5% vs 30%) compared to the 27 GDM-unexposed children. Lower levels of physical activity were significantly associated with higher levels of anxiety. Less engagement in VPA explained 75% of the association between GDM exposure and anxiety levels.

Conclusions: Engaging in physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic may be beneficial for reducing anxiety, particularly amongst GDM-exposed children.

Keywords: anxiety; children; coronavirus disease 2019; gestational diabetes mellitus; physical activity.

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Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The authors declare no potential conflict of interest. A pre-print of this manuscript can be found at www.medrxiv.org.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Group differences in state anxiety symptoms and physical activity levels between GDM-exposed and unexposed children. A, State anxiety expressed in mean, SEM. B, VPA expressed as % who reported engaging in any VPA. C, MVPA expressed as median, IQR. GDM, gestational diabetes mellitus; MVPA, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity; VPA, vigorous physical activity
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Update of

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