Mireille van Poppel

Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz | KFU Graz · Institute of Sport Science

Feasible interventions addressing unhealthy changes in energy balance-related behavior (EBRB) during pregnancy and early postpartum are needed. This study identified the needs and wishes of expecting and first-time parents concerning EBRB interventions during the transition to parenthood. Thirteen focus group discussions (n = 74) were conducted. Co...

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic not only impacted the health of school children directly through SARS-CoV-2 infections, but the associated closures of schools and sports facilities also resulted in long-term negative side effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of COVID-19-related mitigation measures on the health and fitness st...

Regular moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and reduced sedentary time (ST) improve maternal glucose metabolism in pregnancy. More MVPA and less ST outside pregnancy increase antioxidant capacity, hence, are beneficial in preventing oxidative stress. The placenta is the first line of defense for the fetus from an adverse maternal environm...

Background and objectives: Parental body composition, physical activity (PA) and sedentary time (ST) have been linked with offspring body weight and health. However, independent contributions of body composition, PA and ST of both parents on growth trajectories of their offspring, taking into account sex differences, has not been investigated. Me...

Objectives: To explore i) the association of sedentary time (ST) and physical activity (PA) during pregnancy with placental expression of genes related to glucose and lipid metabolism in obese pregnant women; ii) maternal metabolic factors mediating changes in these placental transcripts; and iii) cord blood markers related to these mRNAs mediatin...

The COVID-19-related closing of schools and sport facilities resulted in major changes to daily routines worldwide. It was the aim of this study to investigate the impact of COVID-19-related mitigation measures on the health and fitness status of primary school children in Austria. Seven hundred and eight primary school children (7–10 years old) pa...

Background: The challenging factors that elite athletes perceive for combining their sportive career with planning a pregnancy and motherhood need to be identified in order to develop supportive measures. Therefore, this study aimed to explore challenges associated with planning a pregnancy among female, non-pregnant elite athletes. Methods: Semi-s...

Background: The ramifications of COVID-19 restrictions might accelerate the already rising proportion of children with overweight or obesity. Objectives: To assess the association between COVID-19 restrictions and changes in body mass index (BMI) and the proportion of children with overweight or obesity. Methods: Cohort study with baseline mea...

Maternal obesity is associated with adverse metabolic outcomes in her offspring, from the earliest stages of development leading to obesity and poorer cardiometabolic health in her offspring. We investigated whether an effective preconception lifestyle intervention in obese women affected cardiometabolic health of their offspring. We randomly alloc...

Monitoring of anthropometric and physical fitness parameters in primary school children is important for the prevention of future health problems. Many of the existing test batteries that are useful for monitoring require expensive test materials, specialized test administrators, and a lot of space. This limits the usefulness of such tests for wide...

(1) Background: Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are present in maternal serum during pregnancy and their composition is altered in gestational diabetes (GDM). HMOs are also in fetal cord blood and in contact with the feto-placental endothelium, potentially affecting its functions, such as angiogenesis. We hypothesized that cord blood HMOs are ch...

The design of the built environment in communities influences active transport and physical activity levels of citizens. Existing instruments for quantitatively assessing built environments were developed for use in urban areas and mainly by experts. Participative assessment of built environment modifications (PABEM) is a needs assessment tool that...

Background: Interactions between polymorphisms of the melatonin receptor 1B gene (MTNR1B) and lifestyle intervention for gestational diabetes have been described. Whether these are specific for physical activity or healthy eating intervention is unknown. Objectives: The aim was to assess the interaction between MTNR1B rs10830962 and rs10830963 p...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0197270.].

Maternal obesity in pregnancy is a pro-inflammatory condition exposing the fetus to an adverse environment. Here, we tested associations of maternal obesity (primary exposures: BMI, leptin) and metabolic parameters (secondary exposures: glucose, C-peptide, and insulin sensitivity) with total serum concentrations of fatty acids in the first trimeste...

Importance Previous studies have shown reductions in self-reported physical activity levels in children associated with implementation of COVID-19 mitigation measures, and data on objectively assessed health parameters are limited. Objective To examine the association of COVID-19 mitigation measures with changes in cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF)...

The multidimensional concept of physical literacy is fundamental for lifelong physical activity engagement. However, physical literacy-based interventions are in their infancy, especially among adults. Therefore, the purpose of this pilot study was to assess the association of a physical literacy-based intervention with changes in self-reported phy...

Background: The onset and early warning signs of episodes of bipolar disorder are often realized late by those affected. The earlier an incipient episode is treated, the more prognostically favorable the course will be. Symptom monitoring via smartphone application (app) could be an innovative way to recognize and react to early warning signs more...

While the benefits of physical activity (PA) during and after pregnancy have been established, many women do not reach the recommended PA levels during this time. A major barrier found in the literature is a lack of counselling by healthcare providers (HCPs), which is partly caused by the limited knowledge on the topic. The aim of this study was to...

Importance: Previous studies showed reduced self-reported physical activity levels in children due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mitigation measures, whereas limited data is available for objectively assessed health parameters. Objective: To examine the influence of these measures on the longitudinal development of cardiorespiratory fi...

We evaluated possible mediators underlying lifestyle intervention effects on neonatal adiposity, assessed with sum of skinfolds and cord blood leptin. This is a secondary analysis of the DALI study, a randomised controlled trial in nine European countries. Pregnant women with a pre-pregnancy body mass index of ≥29 kg/m² were randomly assigned to co...

Background: Sleep disturbances are common early warning signs of an episode of bipolar disorder, and early recognition can favorably impact the illness course. Symptom monitoring via a smartphone app is an inexpensive and feasible method to detect an early indication of changes such as sleep. The study aims were (1) to assess the acceptance of apps...

Governments have restricted public life during the COVID-19 pandemic, inter alia closing sports facilities and gyms. As regular exercise is essential for health, this study examined the effect of pandemic-related confinements on physical activity (PA) levels. A multinational survey was performed in 14 countries. Times spent in moderate-to-vigorous...

Most countries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic have repeatedly restricted public life in order to control the contagion. However, the health impact of confinement measures is unclear, hitherto. We performed a multinational survey investigating changes in mental and physical well-being (MWB/PWB) during the first wave of the pandemic. A total of 14...

Obese pregnant women are at high risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), which might be reduced by sufficient physical activity (PA) and reduced sedentary time (ST). We assessed whether PA and ST are longitudinally associated with the glucose-insulin axis in obese pregnant women. In this secondary analysis of the DALI (vitamin D And...

Early identification of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) aims to reduce the risk of adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes. Currently, no circulating biomarker has proven clinically useful for accurate prediction of GDM. In this study, we tested if a panel of small non-coding circulating RNAs could improve early prediction of GDM. We performed...

Background and objective: The maternal glucose-insulin axis is central for metabolic adaptations required for a healthy pregnancy. Metabolic changes in obese mothers in early pregnancy have been scantly described. Here we characterized the glucose-insulin axis in the first trimester of human pregnancy and assessed the effect of maternal obesity and...

Aims: To describe the metabolic phenotypes of early gestational diabetes mellitus and their association with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Methods: We performed a post hoc analysis using data from the Vitamin D And Lifestyle Intervention for gestational diabetes prevention (DALI) trial conducted across nine European countries (2012-2014). In women...

Objective Little is known about the acute psychological stress responses caused by commuting. Evidence for the benefits of active commuting (e.g., walking, cycling) is usually based on studies without measurements in free-living environments and without consideration of daily variations in stress. This study investigated the association between com...

Confinement measures during the COVID-19 pandemic have caused substantial reductions in global physical activity (PA) levels. In view of the manifold health benefits of PA, the development of interventions counteracting this trend is paramount. Our survey with 15,261 participants (38±15 years, 58.5% females) examined preferences towards digital hom...

Estimation of the intensity of physical activity (PA) based on absolute accelerometer cut points (Cp) likely over-or underestimates intensity for a specific individual. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between absolute moderate intensity Cp and the first ventilatory threshold (VT1). A group of 24 pregnant and 15 nonpreg...

Aims To investigate the performance of early pregnancy HbA1c for predicting gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and adverse pregnancy outcomes in obese women. Methods Post hoc analysis using data from the Vitamin D And Lifestyle Intervention for GDM prevention trials conducted across 9 European countries (2012–2015). Pregnant women (BMI ≥ 29kg/m²)...

Background Questionnaires provide valuable information about physical activity (PA) behaviors in older adults. Until now, no firm recommendations for the most qualified questionnaires for older adults have been provided. Objectives This review is an update of a previous systematic review, published in 2010, and aims to summarize, appraise and compa...

The original version of this review article unfortunately contained a mistake.

Aims/hypothesis: The aim of this systematic review was to develop core outcome sets (COSs) for trials evaluating interventions for the prevention or treatment of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Methods: We identified previously reported outcomes through a systematic review of the literature. These outcomes were presented to key stakeholders...

Background: Previous studies reported positive associations between perceived neighborhood greenness and mental health. There has been a focus on perceived neighborhood greenness at people's home environment or in general, but data are lacking on greenness at working places or other locations where they actually spend most of their time during the...

Research has reported the associations between objective or subjective neighborhood greenness and health, with low agreement between the greenness scores. College students are prone to poor health, and data are lacking on home and university environments. We studied the agreement between greenness parameters and the associations of objective greenn...

Questionnaires to assess physical activity (PA) have served and continue to serve important purposes in both research and practical application as they capture the self-reported aggregation of the individual which is at times complemented with device-based measures. This paper presents an expert consensus on best practices and future directions reg...

Background Although previous studies evaluated the association of maternal health parameters with neonatal adiposity, little is known regarding the complexity of the relationships among different maternal health parameters throughout pregnancy and its impact on neonatal adiposity. Objectives To evaluate the direct and indirect associations between...

Objectives: To investigate the importance of time in pregnancy and neonatal sex on the association between maternal metabolic parameters and neonatal sum of skinfolds. Methods: This was a longitudinal, secondary analysis of the vitamin D and lifestyle intervention for gestational diabetes mellitus study, conducted in nine European countries during...

Psychische Erkrankungen gehen unter anderem mit einem höheren Risiko für kardiovaskuläre Erkrankungen einher (Firth et al., 2015). Regelmäßige Bewegung kann diesem Gesundheitsrisiko entgegenwirken und das Wohlbefinden verbessern (Soundy et al., 2014). Laut einer Umfrage der Ambulanten Psychosozialen Rehabilitation (APR) Graz erfüllen nur 24% der Pa...

Health literacy (HL) has been determined for the general population and for subgroups, though the relationship between HL and active transport in rural areas was not explored. The aim of our study is to investigate HL among citizens in an Austrian rural region and to explore the associations between HL and active transport. This cross-sectional tel...

Background: Combining the strengths of physical activity (PA) diaries and questionnaires may be needed to improve the unsatisfying measurement quality of existing PA questionnaires. This study investigated the construct validity of a short PA questionnaire (Physical Activity Questionnaire for 24 h [PAQ24]) with a recall period of one day. Methods...

Objectives: To analyze the association of sedentary time and physical activity (PA) intensity levels with immunometabolic markers during early pregnancy; and to examine if meeting the PA recommendations is associated with the immunometabolic profile of pregnant women. Methods: Fifty Caucasian pregnant women (age: 32.8±4.7years old, body mass ind...

Previous studies reported contradictory evidence for associations between perceived greenness and obesity mediated by physical activity, focusing on people’s homes or general greenness. Data are lacking in other environments. We studied the association of perceived greenness at home and at university with BMI and physical activity. An online survey...

Purpose of Review The DALI (vitamin D and lifestyle intervention in the prevention of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM)) study aimed to prevent GDM with lifestyle interventions or Vitamin D supplementation (1600 IU/day). This review summarizes the learnings from the DALI studies among pregnant women with a BMI ≥ 29 kg/m². Recent Findings Women d...

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are present in maternal serum in early gestation, raising the question of whether HMOs can cross the placental barrier and reach fetal circulation. Here, we aimed to detect HMOs in cord blood, and assess HMO composition and concentration in relation to maternal HMOs. In an ex-vivo placental perfusion model, we ask...

The aim of the present study was to analyze the influence of a supervised concurrent exercise-training program, from the 17th gestational week until delivery, on cytokines in maternal (at 17th and 35th gestational week, and at delivery) and arterial and venous cord serum. Fifty-eight Caucasian pregnant women (age: 33.5 ± 4.7 years old, body mass in...

Aims/hypothesis Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is linked with a higher lifetime risk for the development of impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance, type 2 diabetes, the metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, postpartum depression and tumours. Despite this, there is no consistency in the long-term follow-up of women with a pr...

Women’s lifestyle has important implications for the development and health of their offspring. Yet little is known about the association between women’s preconception dietary intake and physical activity with cardiovascular health of the offspring. We therefore examined this association in a group of Dutch women with overweight or obesity (BMI ≥ 2...

Background: Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) were recently found in serum of normal-weight pregnant women, with concentrations increasing from early to mid- and late pregnancy. Whether HMOs have effects on maternal metabolism is unknown. Objectives: We aimed to study the presence and changes in HMOs throughout pregnancy and assess associations...

Background: High Body Mass Index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) affect an increasing number of pregnancies. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has issued recommendations on the optimal GWG for women according to their pre-pregnancy BMI (healthy, overweight or obese). It has been shown that pregnant women rarely met the recommendations; howev...

Purpose To identify demographic, (bio)physical, behavioral, and psychological determinants of successful lifestyle change and program completion by performing a secondary analysis of the intervention arm of a randomized-controlled trial, investigating a preconception lifestyle intervention. Methods The 6-month lifestyle intervention consisted of d...

Objective: Does ovarian hyperstimulation and/or the in vitro procedure of assisted reproduction affect neurodevelopmental and physical health of the offspring? Study design: Infertile couples were randomly allocated to intrauterine insemination with controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (IUI-COH), modified natural cycle in vitro fertilization (IVF...

Objectives To identify if maternal educational attainment is a prognostic factor for gestational weight gain (GWG), and to determine the differential effects of lifestyle interventions (diet based, physical activity based or mixed approach) on GWG, stratified by educational attainment. Design Individual participant data meta-analysis using the pre...

OBJECTIVE: In our randomized controlled trial, we investigated the impact of healthy eating (HE) aiming for restricted gestational weight gain (GWG) and physical activity (PA) interventions on maternal and neonatal lipid metabolism. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Obese pregnant women (n = 436) were included before 20 weeks' gestation and underwent gl...