IS THERE A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PHYSICAL INACTIVITY AND VISCERAL FAT ACCUMULATION IN PREGNANT WOMEN? Ashlyn Showalter, Danielle Brown, Katherine H. Ingram, Ph.D (Faculty Research Advisor) Our data indicate that the accumulation of visceral fat is strongly associated with sedentary behavior during pregnancy. Since visceral fat is associated with increased risk of chronic disease and accumulates with pregnancy, our results underscore the importance of physical activity during pregnancy. This project is funded by internal grants from the KSU Office of the Vice President for Research and Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL). ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Janeen Amason Ph.D, RN, Rebecca Shabo, Ph.D, Lyndsey Hornbuckle, PhD, R.D. and Wellstar Kennestone OB/GYN Medical Group REFERENCES: 1. Nakamura, Tadashi, Katsuto Tokunaga, Iichiro Shimomura, Makoto Nishida, Shingo Yoshida, Kazuaki Kotani, A.h.m Waliul Islam, Yoshiaki Keno, Takashi Kobatake, Yoshiyuki Nagai, Shigenori Fujioka, Seiichiro Tarui, and Yuji Matsuzawa. "Contribution of Visceral Fat Accumulation to the Development of Coronary Artery Disease in Non-obese Men." Atherosclerosis (1994): Print. 2. Goodpaster, B. H., J. P. DeLany, A. D. Otto, L. Kuller, J. Vockley, J. E. South-Paul, S. B. Thomas, J. Brown, K. McTigue, K. C. Hames, W. Lang, and J. M. Jakicic. "Effects Of Diet And Physical Activity Interventions On Weight Loss And Cardiometabolic Risk Factors In Severely Obese Adults: A Randomized Trial." JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association (2010): Print. 3.Image from: l.jpg The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between physical inactivity and visceral fat accumulation in pregnancy. Abdominal obesity is associated with serious chronic diseases such as diabetes and coronary artery disease 1. Abdominal (or visceral) fat is strongly correlated with an inactive and sedentary lifestyle 2. Recent research shows that pregnancy is associated with high levels of visceral fat beyond appropriate levels; however, no studies have linked it with physical inactivity. We recruited eleven pregnant women who are currently in their first pregnancy from WellStar Kennestone OB/Gyn. Visceral fat was calculated by ultrasound assessment of intra- abdominal fat tissue at the participant's regular 20-week assessment at WellStar Kennestone OB/Gyn Medical Group. Inactivity was defined as amount of time spent sedentary. Subjects were fitted with accelerometers to measure their sedentary sitting time during one week, and we analyzed the time in minutes over the course of a typical day. Actigraph software was used to compile and quantify the accelerometer data. Subjects were divided into two groups, Less Sedentary and More Sedentary, based on the median values for sedentary time. Visceral Fat Measurement Ultrasound 3 Department of Exercise Science and Sport Management, Kennesaw State University Visceral fat was higher in More Sedentary women (Figure 1). Intra- abdominal fat was positively associated with sedentary time (Figure 3). The results were very significant, with a p value of Subcutaneous fat levels were also found to be positively linked to sedentary time. Data also showed a positive correlation between subjects’ pre-pregnancy weight and their sedentary time (Figure 2). *p < 0.05 * * * *