Activity Monitoring & Heart Art Ancillary Study
Description
Studies have shown that women that have pregnancy problems are more likely to have high blood pressure, heart disease, and kidney disease later in life. The Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: Monitoring Mothers-to-be (nuMoM2b) and Heart Health follow-up studies have followed a large group of participants through a series of studies to better understand how pregnancy problems are linked to future heart health.
The Activity Monitoring Study (AMS) and the Heart Rate Variability and Arterial Stiffness (Heart Art) Substudy are ancillary studies to the second follow-up visit in the nuMoM2b Heart Health cohort study. This ancillary study is funded by NHLBI. AMS is measuring sedentary behavior and physical activity with a thigh-worn accelerometer in the full cohort and the Heart Art Study will measure subclinical cardiovascular measures in a subcohort at two sites. The Gibbs lab at the West Virginia University School of Public Health is the reading and coordination center for the AMS and Heart Art ancillary studies.
Here is the link to the participant log in: https://numom2b.org/participant-login
History
nuMoM2b
The first study, nuMoM2b (Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: Monitoring Mothers-to-be) followed over 10,000 people during their first pregnancy. The participants took part in multiple study visits during their pregnancy to better understand who would experience a normal pregnancy, high blood pressure or diabetes during pregnancy, or preterm birth. Information was collected from interviews, surveys, ultrasounds, medical records, clinical tests, and biospecimens such as blood and urine samples. A subset of participants were also included in an at-home sleep breathing study to learn about the effects of breathing problems on pregnancy outcomes and future heart health.
nuMoM2b-HHS
The second study, the nuMoM2b Heart Health Study (nuMoM2b-HHS), followed over 7,000 nuMoM2b participants from 2013 to 2020 to learn how pregnancy problems are linked to early signs of future heart disease. These nuMoM2b-HHS participants completed study visits, interviews, and clinical measurements and provided blood and urine samples. They also completed online and/or phone surveys. Some participated in a smaller study that examined breathing patterns at home while sleeping. nuMoM2b-HHS found that people who have pregnancy problems are more likely to have earlier signs of heart disease risk than people who did not have problems with their pregnancy.
nuMoM2b-HHS2
The Continuation of the nuMoM2b Heart Health Study (nuMoM2b-HHS2) began in 2020 and will continue to follow nuMoM2b and nuMoM2b-HHS participants until 2027. The study will help us learn more about risk factors and signs of early heart issues, and how these may be related to past pregnancy problems. The participants take part in regular phone or online interviews to gather information and confirm medical and pregnancy histories. They are also asked to attend an in-person study visit with interviews, clinical measurements, and blood and urine sample collection. Many participants are invited to take part in related studies that will gather more detailed information about their health. We hope that findings from this study will help us understand how to lower the risk of chronic diseases and improve health results, particularly those that differ by race.
Selected Publications
Barone Gibbs B, Modlin S, Perera S, Thrower AN, Huber KA, Kozai AC, Chiu J, Haas DM, Greenland P, Grobman WA, Theilen L, Cameron NA, Bairey Merz CN, Whitaker KM. Factors Associated With Leisure Time Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior in Young Women 2-7 Years After Delivery of a Pregnancy in the nuMoM2b Heart Health Study. American Journal of Health Promotion. 2026;0(0). doi:10.1177/08901171251413224
Thrower A, Modlin S, Whitaker KM, Gibbs BB. Yoga as a form of leisure-time physical activity and pregnancy health outcomes. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 2026 Jan 27.
Gibbs BB, Modlin S, Merz NB, Haas DM, Khan SS, Lane A, McNeil RB, Varagic J, Huber K, Vasquez-Huot L, Catov JM. Leisure Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Cardiovascular Health 2-7 Years after Pregnancy in the nuMoM2b HHS Cohort. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2025 Feb 3;. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003660.
Marshall EM, Bhandari R, Haas DM, Catov JM, Umer A, Silver RM, Barone Gibbs B. Pre‐pregnancy substance use and first trimester cardiovascular health among nulliparous pregnant people: The nuMoM2b Study. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology. 2024 Nov;38(8):668-76.