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Infant growth is associated with parental education but not with parental adiposity - Early Stockholm Obesity

V Svensson1, A Ek, M Forssén

  • 1Division of Pediatrics, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.

Acta Paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)
|January 7, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Low parental education, not parental obesity, impacts infant growth in the first year. This highlights education as a key factor in early child development and weight trajectories.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Public Health
  • Developmental Pediatrics

Background:

  • Parental factors like obesity and education significantly influence child development.
  • Understanding these influences is crucial for early obesity prevention strategies.
  • Existing research often examines parental obesity and education separately, necessitating a combined analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the combined effects of parental adiposity and education on infant growth up to 12 months.
  • To adjust for known early-life risk factors for childhood obesity.
  • To determine independent associations of parental factors with infant weight status.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized baseline data from 197 children and parents in a longitudinal obesity intervention study.
  • Categorized obesity risk based on parental body mass index and education levels.
  • Analyzed infant relative weight (BMI SDS) at 3, 6, and 12 months and rapid weight gain (0-6 months) using regression models.
  • Controlled for gestational weight gain, birth weight, breastfeeding duration, and maternal smoking.

Main Results:

  • Infant relative weight at 3, 6, and 12 months was significantly associated with lower parental education levels.
  • No significant association was found between parental adiposity and infant relative weight or rapid weight gain.
  • Early-life risk factors did not explain the observed association between parental education and infant growth.

Conclusions:

  • Low parental education level is an independent predictor of infant growth patterns in the first year.
  • Parental obesity does not appear to directly contribute to higher infant weight or rapid weight gain during this period.
  • Findings underscore the importance of socioeconomic factors, specifically parental education, in shaping early child development.
Abstract

Keywords:
Childhood obesityInfant growthParental adiposityParental educationRapid weight gain

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