Prepregnancy body mass index and cardiovascular disease mortality: the Child Health and Development Studies

Area of Science:

• Epidemiology
• Cardiovascular Disease Research
• Public Health

Background:

• Overweight and obesity in early life can contribute to cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality later in life.
• Limited research exists on the association between pre-middle age body mass index (BMI) and CVD mortality specifically in women.
• Understanding the long-term impact of prepregnancy weight status on women's cardiovascular health is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between self-reported prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and mortality from stroke and coronary heart disease (CHD) in women.
• To test the hypothesis that higher prepregnancy BMI is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular mortality.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Child Health and Development Studies cohort, including 11,006 pregnant women recruited between 1959 and 1967.
• Assessed cause of death annually through 2007 by linking with California Vital Status Records.
• Calculated Cox proportional hazards ratios for cause-specific mortality across different BMI categories.

Main Results:

• Median follow-up was 37 years, with 1839 participant deaths occurring at a mean age of 64.1 years.
• Higher prepregnancy BMI was associated with increased coronary heart disease mortality in adjusted models.
• Underweight, overweight, and obese women exhibited higher all-cause mortality compared to normal BMI women.

Conclusions:

• Prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) demonstrates a monotonic association with coronary heart disease mortality.
• A J-shaped association was observed between prepregnancy BMI and noncardiovascular mortality.
• Prepregnancy weight status is a significant predictor of long-term mortality risk in women.