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Updated: May 23, 2026
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Gestational weight gain and predicted changes in offspring anthropometrics between early infancy and 3 years
A L Deierlein1, A M Siega-Riz, A H Herring
1School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina Gillings, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. andrea.deierlein@mssm.edu
Insights
Excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) is linked to higher offspring weight-for-age and length-for-age z-scores in infancy, persisting to age three. This highlights the importance of monitoring GWG for long-term child development.
Area of Science:
- Maternal and Child Health
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Growth Monitoring
Background:
- Gestational weight gain (GWG) is a critical factor influencing maternal and infant health outcomes.
- The 2009 Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations provide guidelines for optimal GWG.
- Understanding the long-term impact of GWG on offspring growth is essential for public health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between GWG, categorized by 2009 IOM recommendations, and offspring anthropometric z-scores (WAZ, LAZ, WLZ).
- To track changes in offspring weight-for-age (WAZ), length-for-age (LAZ), and weight-for-length z-scores (WLZ) from infancy to three years of age.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 476 term infants from the Pregnancy, Infection, and Nutrition Study.
- Multivariable linear mixed-effects regression models were used to analyze the relationship between GWG and offspring z-scores.
- Data collected included infant weight and length measurements from early infancy to 3 years.
Main Results:
- Infants born to mothers with excessive GWG exhibited higher WAZ, LAZ, and WLZ in early infancy compared to those with adequate GWG.
- Excessive GWG (≥200% of recommended) was associated with accelerated rates of change in WAZ and LAZ.
- Significantly higher predicted mean WAZ and WLZ were observed in the excessive GWG group, persisting throughout the study period.
Conclusions:
- GWG significantly impacts offspring anthropometrics from infancy through early childhood.
- The observed differences in infant growth associated with GWG persist up to three years of age.
- Further research incorporating maternal and pediatric body composition is recommended to elucidate the mechanisms behind this association.
Objective:
To determine how gestational weight gain (GWG), categorized using the 2009 Institute of Medicine recommendations, relates to changes in offspring weight-for-age (WAZ), length-for-age (LAZ) and weight-for-length z-scores (WLZ) between early infancy and 3 years.
Methods:
Women with singleton infants were recruited from the third cohort of the Pregnancy, Infection, and Nutrition Study (2001-2005). Term infants with at least one weight or length measurement during the study period were included (n = 476). Multivariable linear mixed effects regression models estimated longitudinal changes in WAZ, LAZ and WLZ associated with GWG.
Results:
In early infancy, compared with infants of women with adequate weight gain, those of women with excessive weight gains had higher WAZ, LAZ and WLZ. Excessive GWG ≥ 200% of the recommended amount was associated with faster rates of change in WAZ and LAZ and noticeably higher predicted mean WAZ and WLZ that persisted across the study period.
Conclusions:
GWG is associated with significant differences in offspring anthropometrics in early infancy that persisted to 3 years of age. More longitudinal studies that utilize maternal and paediatric body composition measures are necessary to understand the nature of this association.
