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Maternal pre-gravid obesity and early childhood respiratory hospitalization: a population-based case-control study

Elizabeth C Parsons1, Kevin Patel, Betty T Tran

  • 1Health Services Research and Development, Department of Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, USA. parsonse@u.washington.edu

Maternal and Child Health Journal
|August 21, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Maternal pre-gravid obesity significantly increases the risk of early childhood respiratory hospitalizations. This finding highlights the importance of maternal weight management for infant respiratory health.

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Health
  • Pediatric Health
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Intrauterine inflammation is linked to childhood respiratory and infectious issues.
  • Obesity, a chronic inflammatory condition, has an understudied role in pediatric respiratory illness.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between maternal pre-gravid body mass index (BMI) and respiratory hospitalizations in early childhood.

Main Methods:

  • Population-based case-control study using Washington State hospital and birth certificate data.
  • 15,318 cases (children 0-5 years with respiratory hospitalization) and 31,060 controls (frequency-matched by birth year).
  • Logistic regression analysis adjusted for maternal and infant characteristics.

Main Results:

  • Elevated maternal pre-gravid BMI was associated with increased risk of childhood respiratory hospitalization.
  • Adjusted odds ratios (OR) were 1.08 [95% CI: 1.03-1.14] for overweight mothers and 1.29 [95% CI: 1.22-1.36] for obese mothers.
  • Higher maternal pre-gravid BMI correlated with a greater risk of respiratory hospitalizations.

Conclusions:

  • Excess maternal weight is a risk factor for early childhood respiratory hospitalizations.
  • This association underscores the need to counsel expectant mothers about the impact of pre-gravid weight on infant respiratory outcomes.

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