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Body mass index associations between mother and offspring from birth to age 18: the Fels Longitudinal Study

S Swanton1, A C Choh2, M Lee2

  • 1Department of Health and Sport Science, School of Education and Health Sciences University of Dayton Dayton USA.

Obesity Science & Practice
|July 15, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Maternal body mass index (BMI) significantly influences offspring BMI from early childhood through early adulthood. The mother-daughter link shows a stronger association and earlier significance than the mother-son link.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Genetics
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Parental obesity is a recognized risk factor for childhood obesity.
  • Maternal influence on offspring body mass index (BMI) is well-documented in infancy and early childhood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the association between maternal and offspring BMI from birth to 18 years.
  • To compare the strength and timing of maternal BMI influence on sons versus daughters.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the Fels Longitudinal Study, including 427 mother/child pairs.
  • Analyzed repeated measurements of child BMI (ages 0-18) and maternal BMI using Spearman correlations and linear regression.
  • Controlled for decade of birth and parity.

Main Results:

  • Mother/son BMI correlations became significant at age 5-6 years and remained so through age 18.
  • Mother/daughter BMI correlations became significant at 1.5 years and persisted through age 18.
  • The mother/daughter association was stronger and emerged earlier than the mother/son association.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal BMI significantly tracks offspring BMI from childhood into early adulthood.
  • The mother-daughter BMI relationship demonstrates a stronger and earlier correlation compared to the mother-son relationship.
  • These findings highlight the enduring maternal influence on offspring weight trajectories.
Abstract

Keywords:
body mass index (BMI)human growth and developmentobesity

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