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Early-life determinants of excess weight in children born heavy

Amy R Goetz1, Tiffany M Rybak1, James L Peugh1

  • 1Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Pediatric Obesity
|November 6, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Infants born with high birth weight (HBW) or large for gestational age (LGA) initially decrease in weight, then stabilize by 12 months. Delivery method influenced early weight, but this effect faded over time.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Neonatal Health
  • Obesity Research

Background:

  • High birth weight (HBW) and large for gestational age (LGA) infants face increased risks for later obesity.
  • The predictive role of prenatal risk factors on postnatal weight trajectories for these infants remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To model the weight trajectories of infants born HBW and/or LGA.
  • To identify prenatal and delivery-related predictors of infant weight gain.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the Infant Feeding Practices Study II (N=371).
  • Modeled weight trajectories for HBW and LGA infants separately.
  • Analyzed delivery method as a potential predictor.

Main Results:

  • Infant weight begins high, decreases, and plateaus by 12 months.
  • Cesarean delivery was associated with higher initial weight in HBW infants compared to vaginal delivery, though this difference diminished by 12 months.
  • Delivery method was the sole significant predictor identified.

Conclusions:

  • Early-life factors, including birth size and delivery method, do not solely determine postnatal weight trajectories.
  • Postnatal behaviors may play a crucial role in the association between large birth size and subsequent obesity.
  • Further research is warranted to explore these postnatal influences.

Keywords:
high birth weightinfant growthlarge for gestational agemacrosomia

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