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Parental Obesity and Early Childhood Development
Edwina H Yeung1, Rajeshwari Sundaram2, Akhgar Ghassabian3
1Epidemiology Branch, yeungedw@mail.nih.gov.
Pediatrics
|January 4, 2017
Summary
Maternal and paternal obesity are linked to specific childhood developmental delays. This highlights the need to consider parental health information when assessing child development.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Public Health
Background:
- Previous research linked maternal obesity to neurodevelopmental outcomes.
- Limited studies explored paternal obesity's distinct role in developmental programming.
- Parental obesity may influence child development through genetic and epigenetic pathways.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the associations between maternal and paternal obesity and early childhood developmental delays.
- To examine specific developmental domains affected by parental obesity.
- To emphasize the importance of family health information in developmental screening.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Upstate KIDS study (2008-2010).
- Included 3759 singletons and 1062 nonrelated twins with developmental data.
- Employed the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) for developmental screening across multiple time points.
- Used generalized linear mixed models to analyze associations, adjusting for maternal covariates.
Main Results:
- Maternal obesity (BMI ≥30) was associated with increased odds of fine motor delays (aOR 1.67).
- Paternal obesity (29%) was linked to higher risk of personal-social domain delays (aOR 1.75).
- Children with both parents having BMI ≥35 showed increased risk for problem-solving delays (aOR 2.93).
Conclusions:
- Maternal and paternal obesity are independently associated with specific early childhood developmental delays.
- Findings underscore the significance of incorporating parental health status into developmental assessments.
- Family-level health data provides crucial context for understanding child development.
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