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Updated: Jul 11, 2025
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Association of maternal thyroid disease with obesity in child
Kyung Eun Lee1, Ha Eun Oh1, Sa Jin Kim1
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Insights
Maternal hyperthyroidism was linked to childhood obesity in boys aged 42-66 months. This association faded in later childhood, indicating other factors influence childhood obesity development.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
Background:
- Thyroid disorders during pregnancy can impact fetal and neonatal development.
- Understanding the long-term effects of maternal thyroid dysfunction on offspring is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between maternal thyroid dysfunction and offspring growth and obesity.
- To analyze the impact of maternal hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism on child body mass index (BMI).
Main Methods:
- Nationwide population-based cohort study utilizing Korean nationwide registries.
- Inclusion of 1,123,499 women and assessment of offspring growth via BMI at 42-80 months.
- Analysis of pre-pregnancy thyroid disease prevalence and its association with childhood obesity.
Main Results:
- 7.0% of women had pre-pregnancy thyroid disease.
- Maternal hyperthyroidism was associated with obesity in children aged 42-66 months (aOR 0.93).
- The association was significant in boys but not girls, and diminished in later childhood.
Conclusions:
- Maternal hyperthyroidism is linked to early childhood obesity, particularly in boys.
- The association between maternal thyroid function and offspring obesity weakens with age.
- Other factors likely play a significant role in the development of childhood obesity.
Objectives:
During pregnancy, many women develop thyroid disorders, which can result in fetal and neonatal development defects. We investigated whether maternal thyroid dysfunction would affect their children's growth and obesity.
Study Design:
We conducted a nationwide population-based cohort study using a combination of data from several Korean nationwide registries to investigate the association between maternal thyroid dysfunction, offspring growth, and obesity. Childhood growth was repeatedly measured at three periods of age from 42 to 80 months, using body mass index (BMI).
Results:
A total of 1,123,499 women were enrolled in this study; 78,902 (7.0 %) had pre-pregnancy thyroid disease. Significant association was found between maternal hyperthyroidism and obesity in all children aged 42-66 months (42-54 months, adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.93, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.89-0.98; 54-66 months, aOR 0.93, 95 % CI 0.87-0.99), but not at later ages. In the analysis by sex, maternal hyperthyroidism was associated with childhood obesity in boys, whereas it was not associated with those in girls of any age. No association was observed between maternal hypothyroidism and child BMI or obesity.
Conclusions:
The association between maternal thyroid function and obesity in offspring is attenuated from early to late childhood, suggesting that many other factors may be involved in developing childhood obesity.
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