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Maternal prepregnancy body mass index in relation to Hispanic preschooler overweight/obesity

Panagiota Kitsantas1, Lisa R Pawloski, Kathleen F Gaffney

  • 1Department of Health Administration and Policy, College of Health and Human Services, George Mason University, MS 1J3, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA. pkitsant@gmu.edu

European Journal of Pediatrics
|June 10, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Maternal prepregnancy overweight/obesity significantly increases the risk of childhood obesity in Hispanic and white preschoolers. Early interventions targeting maternal weight can improve child health outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Public Health
  • Maternal Health

Background:

  • Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern.
  • Maternal prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) is a critical factor influencing child weight status.
  • Disparities in childhood obesity exist among different racial and ethnic groups in the US.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between maternal prepregnancy BMI and overweight/obesity in US Hispanic and white children aged 2 and 4 years.
  • To identify if maternal prepregnancy weight status is a significant risk factor for childhood overweight/obesity in these populations.
  • To inform the development of targeted interventions for Hispanic maternal and child dyads.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized nationally representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort.
  • Analyzed the relationship between maternal prepregnancy BMI categories (normal, overweight/obese) and child overweight/obesity at ages 2 and 4.
  • Employed logistic regression to calculate odds ratios and confidence intervals.

Main Results:

  • Hispanic mothers had a higher prevalence of prepregnancy overweight/obesity (41.6%) compared to white mothers (34.8%).
  • Overweight/obesity rates at age 4 were higher for children of Hispanic mothers (44.6%) versus white mothers (34.2%).
  • Children born to overweight/obese Hispanic mothers were over 2.7 times more likely to be overweight/obese than those born to normal-weight Hispanic mothers.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal prepregnancy weight status is a significant, modifiable risk factor for preschooler overweight/obesity.
  • Findings highlight the increased vulnerability of Hispanic children to overweight/obesity linked to maternal prepregnancy BMI.
  • Early, targeted interventions focusing on maternal weight are crucial for mitigating long-term health risks in Hispanic maternal-child pairs.

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