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Maternal obesity - a risk factor for metabolic syndrome in children
Melinda Morea1, Nicolae Miu1, Vicenţiu Florin Morea2
1Pediatric Emergency County Hospital Cluj-Napoca, Iuliu Haţieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Insights
Maternal pre-pregnancy overweight or obesity is a significant risk factor for metabolic syndrome (MS) in children. This highlights the importance of the perinatal period for future research and prevention strategies.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Metabolic syndrome (MS) in children is a growing concern.
- Maternal pre-pregnancy nutritional status is a potential contributing factor to childhood MS.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between maternal pre-pregnancy Body Mass Index (BMI) and the prevalence of MS in offspring.
- To identify potential risk factors for MS in children.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 180 children aged 6-19 years.
- Maternal pre-pregnancy BMI was categorized (normal, overweight, obese).
- Childhood MS was diagnosed using IDF criteria or age/gender-specific cut-offs; physical and laboratory assessments were conducted.
Main Results:
- Overweight and obese children had higher rates of MS compared to normal-weight children.
- Maternal pre-pregnancy overweight and obesity were significantly associated with offspring MS in both genders and specific age groups.
- A high percentage of mothers were normal weight (69.44%), but overweight (24.44%) and obese (6.11%) mothers also contributed to offspring MS.
Conclusions:
- Pre-pregnancy maternal overweight/obesity is a risk factor for childhood MS.
- Variability in MS definitions and cut-off values complicates cross-study comparisons.
- The perinatal period is a critical focus for future research and prevention of childhood MS.
Objective:
To determine the association between the metabolic syndrome in children (MS) and the pre-pregnancy nutritional status of the mother.
Design And Methods:
A total number of 180 children aged between 6-19 years were examined. Self reported data about parents and their children were collected. The children underwent physical examination; weight, height, waist circumference, blood pressure (BP) were measured. The nutritional status of the children was assessed by body mass index (BMI) and laboratory tests needed to diagnose MS were performed. IDF criteria for MS were used in children 10 years and older, and age and gender specific cut-off points in children younger than 10 years. The mothers were classified in the normal weight, overweight and obese categories according to the pre-pregnancy BMI. The statistical analysis of the data was descriptive and inferential analysis. In the bivariate analysis of the association between qualitative variables, we used the Chi-Square test and the exact Fisher test. The statistical analysis was performed with SPSS v 13.0.
Results:
73 (40.55%) children were normal weight, 54 (30%) were overweight and 53 (29.44%) were obese. None of the normal weight children, 16 (29.60%) of the overweight and 23 (43.40%) of the obese ones had MS; 125 (69.44%) of the mothers were normal weight, 44 (24.44%) were overweight and 11 (6.11%) were obese. Pre-pregnancy maternal BMI was significantly associated with offspring MS in both genders, obese children and in the 10-16 age group.
Conclusions:
Pre-pregnancy maternal overweight/obesity represents a risk factor for offspring MS. The results are very difficult to compare between studies because of different cut-off values and definition of MS in children. If prevention is the goal rather than treatment, the perinatal period may be an important focus for future research.
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