Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 5, 2026
Segmentation and Measurement of Fat Volumes in Murine Obesity Models Using X-ray Computed Tomography
Published on: April 4, 2012
Maternal smoking during pregnancy and subcutaneous fat mass in early childhood. The Generation R Study
Büşra Durmuş1, Lamise Ay, Anita C S Hokken-Koelega
1The Generation R Study Group (AE-006), Erasmus Medical Center, PO Box 2040, 3000, CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Insights
Maternal smoking during pregnancy did not affect offspring
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Health
- Pediatric Health
- Public Health
Background:
- Maternal smoking during pregnancy is linked to increased offspring obesity risk.
- Limited data exists on maternal smoking's impact on other body composition measures.
- Understanding these associations is crucial for early childhood health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and subcutaneous fat mass in early childhood.
- To assess peripheral, central, and total subcutaneous fat mass development in relation to maternal smoking exposure.
- To analyze the impact of smoking cessation during pregnancy on offspring body composition.
Main Methods:
- Population-based prospective cohort study in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
- Involved 907 mothers and their children, with data collected from fetal life to 24 months.
- Measured peripheral and central skinfold thickness to assess subcutaneous fat mass.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in peripheral, central, or total subcutaneous fat mass were observed.
- Maternal smoking during any trimester did not correlate with offspring's subcutaneous fat mass.
- Number of cigarettes smoked did not show an association with offspring's subcutaneous fat mass.
Conclusions:
- Fetal exposure to cigarette smoke during pregnancy does not appear to influence subcutaneous fat mass in early childhood.
- Further research is needed to explore associations with other body composition measures and older age groups.
- Findings suggest potential differences in long-term health outcomes requiring continued investigation.
Abstract:
Maternal smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of obesity in the offspring. Not much is known about the associations with other measures of body composition. We assessed the associations of maternal smoking during pregnancy with the development of subcutaneous fat mass measured as peripheral and central skinfold thickness measurements in early childhood, in a population-based prospective cohort study from early fetal life onward in the city of Rotterdam, The Netherlands. The study was performed in 907 mothers and their children at the ages of 1.5, 6 and 24 months. As compared to non-smoking mothers, mothers who continued smoking during pregnancy were more likely to have a younger age and a lower educational level. Their children had a lower birth weight, higher risk of small size for gestational age and were breastfed for a shorter duration (P-values <0.01). We did not observe differences in peripheral, central and total subcutaneous fat mass between the offspring of non-smoking mothers, mothers who smoked in first trimester only and mothers who continued smoking during pregnancy (P > 0.05). Also, the reported number of cigarettes smoked by mothers in both first and third trimester of pregnancy were not associated with peripheral, central and total subcutaneous fat mass in the offspring at the ages of 1.5, 6 and 24 months. Our findings suggest that fetal exposure to cigarette smoke during pregnancy does not influence subcutaneous fat mass in early childhood. Follow-up studies are needed in children at older ages and to identify associations of maternal smoking during pregnancy with other measures of body composition.
