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Prepregnancy body mass index and gestational weight gain affect the offspring neurobehavioral development at one year

Liping Huang1, Yongfen Chen1, Yunjia Dai1

  • 1Department of Neonatology, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.

The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine : the Official Journal of the European Association of Perinatal Medicine, the Federation of Asia and Oceania Perinatal Societies, the International Society of Perinatal Obstetricians
|April 9, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Maternal prepregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain impact infant neurobehavior. Excessive gain is linked to developmental delays, particularly in girls, highlighting the need for optimal weight management.

Area of Science:

  • Maternal and Child Health
  • Developmental Pediatrics
  • Public Health Nutrition

Background:

  • Maternal prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) are linked to childhood neurobehavior.
  • Limited data exist on infant neurobehavioral development before 20 months and potential sex differences.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between maternal prepregnancy BMI, GWG, and infant neurobehavioral development at 12 months.
  • To explore potential sex differences in these associations.

Main Methods:

  • Birth cohort study of 661 mother-infant pairs in Shanghai.
  • Maternal prepregnancy BMI categorized by Chinese standards; GWG by 2009 IOM guidelines.
  • Infant neurobehavior assessed at 12 months using the Gesell Developmental Scale (GDS).

Main Results:

  • Abnormal maternal BMI and excessive GWG associated with infant birth size, but not yearling size.
  • Maternal overweight/obesity and excessive GWG linked to deficits in infant language and social behavior.
  • Excessive GWG specifically associated with lower language ability in girls, but not boys.

Conclusions:

  • Aberrant prepregnancy BMI and excessive GWG negatively impact infant neurobehavioral development beyond birth size.
  • Optimal prepregnancy BMI and GWG are crucial for healthy infant neurodevelopment.
  • Sex-specific effects of GWG on language development warrant further investigation.
Abstract

Keywords:
Prepregnancy BMIgestational weight gainneurobehavioral developmentoffspringsex difference

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