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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
09:36

Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study

Published on: February 2, 2017

Gestational weight gain and child adiposity at age 3 years

Emily Oken1, Elsie M Taveras, Ken P Kleinman

  • 1Obesity Prevention Program, Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Boston, MA 02215, USA. emily_oken@hphc.org

American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
|April 4, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Excessive gestational weight gain is linked to higher child body mass index and increased risk of overweight. New guidelines for pregnancy weight gain may be needed due to rising obesity rates.

Area of Science:

  • Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Maternal gestational weight gain (GWG) is a critical factor influencing fetal development and long-term child health.
  • Rising rates of childhood obesity highlight the need to understand modifiable factors during pregnancy.
  • Existing guidelines for GWG may not adequately address current public health challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between total GWG and adherence to 1990 Institute of Medicine guidelines with child adiposity.
  • To determine the impact of GWG on key indicators of child body composition and metabolic health.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized multivariable regression analysis to assess GWG associations.
  • Included 1044 mother-child pairs from the Project Viva cohort.
  • Examined total GWG and GWG relative to 1990 Institute of Medicine guidelines.

Main Results:

  • Greater GWG correlated with increased child body mass index (BMI) z-score, skinfold thickness, and systolic blood pressure.
  • Children born to mothers with adequate or excessive GWG exhibited higher BMI z-scores compared to those with inadequate GWG.
  • Mothers with adequate or excessive GWG had children with a significantly higher risk of overweight.

Conclusions:

  • Current GWG recommendations may require revision in the context of widespread obesity.
  • Maternal GWG is a significant determinant of offspring adiposity and associated health risks.
  • Further research into optimized GWG strategies is warranted to mitigate childhood obesity.
Abstract

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