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Caesarean section and childhood obesity at age 3 years derived from the Japan Environment and Children's Study

Shintaro Terashita1, Taketoshi Yoshida2, Kenta Matsumura3,4

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan. sterashita@ped-toyama.com.

Scientific Reports
|April 21, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Caesarean section (CS) birth modestly increases the risk of childhood obesity in Japanese children. This study analyzed data from over 60,000 mother-toddler pairs, finding a link between CS birth and obesity at age three.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Caesarean section (CS) delivery is a recognized risk factor for childhood obesity.
  • The influence of ethnicity on CS-associated obesity risk is not fully understood, particularly in Asian populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between Caesarean section birth and obesity at three years of age in Japanese children.
  • To determine if the known risk of childhood obesity linked to CS birth extends to the Japanese population.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of data from 60,769 mother-toddler pairs in the Japan Environment and Children's Study, a large-scale birth cohort.
  • Obesity was defined by body mass index (BMI) at 3 years of age.
  • Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was used to estimate adjusted risk ratios.

Main Results:

  • 18.5% of toddlers were born via CS, and 8.1% were obese at age three.
  • The adjusted risk ratio for obesity at age three for CS births compared to vaginal births was 1.16 (95% CI: 1.08-1.25).
  • This indicates a statistically significant, albeit modest, increase in obesity risk associated with CS delivery.

Conclusions:

  • Caesarean section birth is associated with a modest increase in the risk of obesity at three years of age among Japanese children.
  • These findings highlight the importance of considering delivery mode in the context of childhood obesity prevention strategies within diverse ethnic groups.

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