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Cesarean section and the risk of overweight in grade 6 children

Liang Wang1, Arsham Alamian, Jodi Southerland

  • 1Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, College of Public Health, East Tennessee State University, P.O. Box 70259, Johnson City, TN, 37614, USA, wangl2@etsu.edu.

European Journal of Pediatrics
|May 28, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Cesarean section delivery is linked to a doubled risk of overweight and obesity in 6th-grade children. This association varies by gender, with males showing higher risks for both conditions.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Childhood overweight and obesity are significant public health concerns.
  • The mode of delivery, specifically cesarean section (C-section), is increasingly recognized as a potential factor influencing long-term child health.
  • Understanding the association between C-section and childhood adiposity is crucial for developing targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between cesarean section delivery and the risk of overweight and obesity in children at grade 6.
  • To explore potential sex-based differences in this association.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (phases I–III).
  • Included 917 children with complete data from 1991–2004.
  • Employed multiple logistic regression analyses to adjust for confounding variables and assess the association between C-section and childhood overweight/obesity.

Main Results:

  • Children delivered via C-section demonstrated approximately double the likelihood of being overweight (OR = 1.86) or obese (OR = 1.87) compared to vaginally delivered children.
  • Male children born via C-section had increased risks for both overweight (OR = 1.78) and obesity (OR = 2.58).
  • Female children born via C-section showed an increased risk for being overweight (OR = 1.99) but not obesity.

Conclusions:

  • Cesarean section delivery is associated with an elevated risk of overweight and obesity in 6th-grade children.
  • The observed relationship between C-section and childhood adiposity differs between male and female children.
  • Further longitudinal research is recommended to elucidate the long-term impacts of delivery mode on childhood overweight risk.
Abstract

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