Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Effect Of Fetal Programming On Physical Activity Behaviors, Jessica Garay Redmond

Dissertations - ALL

Appropriate fetal growth and development largely depends on the health and nutritional status of the mother. Exposure to a stressful intra-uterine environment leads to a series of adjustments, known as fetal programming, which have both short- and long-term implications. Immediately, the growth and development of the fetus is altered, resulting in intra-uterine growth restriction and a small size at birth. Long-term, individuals who experience fetal programming are at higher risk of developing certain chronic diseases.

In the current study, we examined the relationship between size at birth (an indicator of intra-uterine growth restriction and thus, fetal programming) and two main …