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Updated: Jun 10, 2025
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Maternal weight status at conception predicts offspring body fat at age 11 years: population data from the Japan Kids
Katsuyasu Kouda1, Kumiko Ohara2, Harunobu Nakamura3
1Department of Hygiene and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Kansai Medical University, 2-5-1 Shin-Machi, Hirakata, Osaka, 573-1010, Japan. koudakat@hirakata.kmu.ac.jp.
Insights
Maternal overweight status before pregnancy is linked to a higher risk of offspring obesity. This study confirms maternal pre-pregnancy BMI can predict excess body fat in children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Public Health
- Reproductive Health
Background:
- Maternal preconception overweight status is associated with increased offspring overweight risk.
- Population-based studies on maternal weight and offspring body fat measured by DXA are lacking.
- This study investigates the link between maternal conception weight and offspring body fat.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between maternal weight at conception and offspring body fat.
- To assess maternal BMI as a predictor of offspring excess body fat.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study of 964 Japanese 5th-grade students (11 years old).
- Maternal Body Mass Index (BMI) at conception calculated from Mother and Child Health Handbook (MCHH).
- Offspring body fat measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA); diagnostic accuracy assessed via Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.
Main Results:
- Significantly higher odds ratios (4.93-15.32) for excess offspring body fat in the overweight mother group.
- Area Under the Curve (AUC) values for maternal BMI at conception were >0.5, indicating predictive potential.
Conclusions:
- Maternal overweight status at conception is a potential risk factor for excess offspring body fat.
- Maternal BMI derived from MCHH data can help identify children with excess body fat.
Background:
Maternal preconception overweight status has been reported to be associated with an increased risk of overweight offspring. However, there are no published population-based studies on the association between maternal preconception weight and offspring body fat measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). The present population-based retrospective cohort study aimed to examine the association between maternal weight at conception and offspring body fat measured by DXA.
Methods:
The source population consisted of 5th-grade students (1244 students aged 11 years) registered at 8 municipal elementary schools in Kitakata, Fukuroi, Hamamatsu, and Himeji in Japan. The present analyses included 964 participants who provided complete information. Maternal body mass index (BMI) at conception was calculated using records in the Mother and Child Health Handbook (MCHH). Offspring body fat at age 11 years was measured with the same QDR-4500A DXA instrument in a mobile test room that was brought to each school. With regard to the prediction of excess fat in offspring, the area under the curve (AUC) calculated with receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to quantify the diagnostic accuracy of maternal BMI at conception.
Results:
Adjusted odds ratios for excess body fat in offspring of the overweight mother group (odds ratios, 4.93 to 15.32) were significantly higher than those in the non-overweight mother group. For the prediction of excess offspring fat, AUCs and 95% confidence intervals for maternal BMI at conception were greater than 0.5.
Conclusion:
Maternal overweight status at conception might be a risk factor for excess body fat in offspring. Maternal BMI values calculated using MCHH data have the potential to distinguish between the presence and absence of excess fat in the next generation.
