Maternal Obesity and Risk of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Pediatrics

Background:

• Maternal obesity rates are rising in the US.
• Obesity is linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes but not yet recognized as a SUID risk factor.

Purpose of the Study:

• Determine if maternal obesity is a risk factor for SUID.
• Quantify the proportion of SUID cases linked to maternal obesity.

Main Methods:

• US nationwide cohort study (2015-2019) using linked birth-infant death records.
• Analyzed over 18.8 million live births, identifying SUID cases based on ICD-10 codes.
• Maternal prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) was the primary exposure variable.

Main Results:

• Infants born to mothers with obesity had a higher SUID risk, increasing with obesity severity.
• Class I, II, and III obesity were associated with adjusted odds ratios of 1.10, 1.20, and 1.39, respectively.
• Approximately 5.4% of SUID cases were attributable to maternal obesity.

Conclusions:

• Maternal obesity is a significant risk factor for SUID.
• A dose-dependent association exists between maternal BMI and SUID risk.
• Further research is needed to explore causal mechanisms.