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Maternal pelvic size, measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, predicts infant birthweight
Rachel Novotny1, James Davis, Richard Wasnich
1Department Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Insights
Maternal pelvic size, measured using dual energy absorptiometry (DEXA), is a significant predictor of infant birthweight. This finding highlights a new indicator for assessing infant health outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Human Biology
- Anthropometry
- Public Health
Background:
- Infant birthweight is a critical indicator of later health outcomes.
- Maternal pelvic dimensions are potential predictors of birthweight.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate new measures of maternal pelvic size using dual energy absorptiometry (DEXA).
- To examine predictors of maternal pelvic size.
- To assess maternal pelvic size as a predictor of infant birthweight.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 326 women and 608 infants in the Early Postmenopausal Interventional Cohort (EPIC) study.
- Employed dual energy absorptiometry (DEXA) for pelvic measurements.
- Validated infant birthweights using birth certificate data.
- Performed multiple regression analyses to identify predictors and associations.
Main Results:
- Adolescent milk consumption and age at menarche positively correlated with hip measurements; Asian ethnicity showed a negative association.
- Maternal hip measurements, infant gender, and gestational age significantly predicted infant birthweight.
- Maternal height, weight, and ethnicity did not significantly improve the birthweight prediction model.
Conclusions:
- Dual energy absorptiometry (DEXA) provides valid measures of maternal pelvic size.
- Maternal pelvic dimensions, influenced by ethnicity and lifestyle factors, serve as indicators of infant birthweight.
- This research offers a novel method for assessing birth outcomes.
Abstract:
Indicators of infant birthweight are important because infant birthweight is related to later health outcomes. This study developed and validated new measures of the pelvis from dual energy absorptiometry (DEXA). Predictors of the new measures of maternal pelvic size were examined and the pelvic size measures were examined as predictors of infant birthweight. Data were drawn from a sample of 326 women in Hawaii and their 608 infants. The women were 45-60 years old at the time of the DEXA bone scan and when they recalled the birthweights of their infants. The birthweights were validated with birth certificate data. The women were participants in the Early Postmenopausal Interventional Cohort (EPIC) to study the effects of alendronate on bone density. Questions on birth histories were added to that study. Adolescent milk consumption and age at menarche were positively associated with the DEXA hip measure, while Asian ethnicity was negatively associated with the hip measure in multiple regression analysis. In multiple regression analysis, the hip measure, together with infant gender and gestational age predicted infant birthweight; mother's height, weight, and ethnicity did not add significantly to the model. DEXA provided measures of the pelvis, which varied by ethnicity, hormonal and nutritional variables, and which were indicators of infant birthweight. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 12:552-557, 2000. Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.