Related Experiment Videos
Maternal obesity and risk for birth defects
Margaret L Watkins1, Sonja A Rasmussen, Margaret A Honein
1Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. mwatkins@cdc.gov
Pediatrics
|May 3, 2003
Summary
Maternal obesity before pregnancy increases the risk of birth defects like spina bifida and heart defects. Maintaining a healthy weight before conception is crucial for preventing adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Health
- Pediatric Health
- Public Health
Background:
- Maternal obesity is a growing concern in reproductive health.
- Previous research indicates a link between prepregnancy obesity and neural tube defects.
- Limited recent data exists on the association between maternal prepregnancy weight status and a broader range of birth defects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between maternal prepregnancy obesity and overweight with various birth defects.
- To compare current findings with existing literature on maternal weight and birth defect risks.
Main Methods:
- A population-based case-control study was conducted using data from the Atlanta Birth Defects Risk Factor Surveillance Study.
- Mothers of infants with and without selected birth defects were interviewed.
- Maternal body mass index (BMI) was calculated, excluding women with pre-existing diabetes. Risks were compared between obese (BMI ≥30), overweight (BMI 25.0-29.9), and average-weight (BMI 18.5-24.9) women.
Main Results:
- Obese women showed increased odds for infants with spina bifida, omphalocele, heart defects, and multiple anomalies.
- Overweight women had increased odds for infants with heart defects and multiple anomalies compared to average-weight women.
- Specific odds ratios and confidence intervals were reported for each association.
Conclusions:
- The study confirms the association between prepregnancy maternal obesity and spina bifida.
- New associations were identified between maternal obesity and omphalocele, heart defects, and multiple anomalies.
- Prepregnancy overweight was linked to heart defects and multiple anomalies, highlighting the need for obesity prevention in women of childbearing age.