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Association between maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index and offspring's outcomes at 9 to 15 years of age

Alexander Lichtwald1, Cathérine Weiss2, Anja Lange3

  • 1Department of Neonatology and Pediatric Intensive Care, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany. alexander.lichtwald@stud.uni-greifswald.de.

Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics
|September 9, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Maternal pre-pregnancy overweight and obesity are linked to poorer school performance and increased screen time in children aged 9-15. Underweight mothers did not show these negative associations with child outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Maternal Health
  • Developmental Psychology

Background:

  • Maternal pre-pregnancy underweight, overweight, and obesity may negatively impact offspring's short- and long-term health.
  • Further research is needed to understand the relationship between maternal pre-pregnancy Body Mass Index (BMI) and combined child outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and child outcomes at ages 9-15.
  • To examine physical development, health status, and social behavior (school and leisure) in relation to maternal pre-pregnancy BMI.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the population-based Survey of Neonates in Pomerania (SNIP) cohort.
  • Analyzed questionnaire data from 1379 mother-child pairs, categorizing maternal pre-pregnancy BMI into underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obesity groups.

Main Results:

  • Children of overweight/obese mothers showed higher BMI-z-scores compared to normal weight mothers.
  • Maternal pre-pregnancy overweight and obesity were associated with lower school and sports performance.
  • Increased screen time (television, gaming, smartphones) was observed in children of overweight/obese mothers.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal pre-pregnancy overweight and obesity are negatively associated with offspring's school performance and leisure behavior.
  • Maternal underweight was not associated with negative outcomes in school performance or leisure behavior.
Abstract

Keywords:
Maternal pre-pregnancy overweight and obesityMaternal pre-pregnancy underweightOffspring’s developmentOffspring’s healthOffspring’s social behavior

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