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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Healthy Lifestyle in the First 1000 Days and Overweight and Obesity Throughout Childhood
Adrien M Aubert1, Marion Lecorguillé2, Mireille C Schipper3,4
1School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Insights
Promoting healthy family lifestyles during pregnancy, including maternal and parental behaviors, is linked to reduced childhood overweight and obesity. These findings highlight the importance of family-centered health initiatives.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Childhood overweight and obesity (OWOB) is a growing public health concern.
- The first 1000 days of life, encompassing pregnancy and early infancy, are critical for establishing long-term health trajectories.
- Family lifestyle behaviors play a significant role in child development and health outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the associations between family healthy lifestyle scores (HLS) during the first 1000 days and the risk of childhood overweight and obesity (OWOB).
- To examine how maternal, parental, and infancy HLS relate to child body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) across different childhood stages.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 25,009 participants across 4 European birth cohorts (EDEN, Elfe, Generation R, Lifeways).
- Calculated three composite HLS: maternal pregnancy, parental pregnancy, and infancy.
- Assessed associations with child BMI z-scores and OWOB categories (IOTF) using regression analyses, adjusting for sociodemographic confounders.
Main Results:
- A small proportion of families achieved optimal HLS during pregnancy and infancy.
- Higher maternal and parental HLS during pregnancy were associated with a lower risk of OWOB in early, middle, and late childhood.
- Infancy HLS showed less consistent associations with OWOB and did not remain significant after adjusting for parental HLS.
Conclusions:
- Maternal and parental adherence to healthy lifestyle behaviors during pregnancy is crucial for reducing offspring OWOB throughout childhood.
- Promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors at the family level, particularly during pregnancy, is vital for preventing childhood obesity.
- These findings underscore the importance of family-centered interventions in public health strategies targeting childhood obesity.
Objectives:
Investigate associations of different family healthy lifestyle scores (HLS) during the first 1000 days with childhood overweight and obesity (OWOB).
Methods:
Cohort-specific analyses were conducted on participants (n = 25 006) from 4 European birth cohorts (The study on the pre- and early postnatal determinants of child health and development [EDEN], Elfe, France; Generation R, the Netherlands; and Lifeways, Ireland). Three composite HLSs were calculated: a maternal pregnancy HLS based on prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and diet quality, physical activity, smoking status, and alcohol consumption during pregnancy; a parental pregnancy HLS additionally considering paternal BMI and smoking status; and an infancy HLS based on breastfeeding duration, age of solid food introduction, and exposure to passive smoking. Associations with child BMI (primary outcome) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR, available in 2 cohorts) in early (5-5.5 years), middle (7-8 years), and late childhood (9-12 years) were assessed using linear (BMI and WHtR z-scores) and robust Poisson (International Obesity Task Force [IOTF] categories) regression analyses adjusted for sociodemographic confounders.
Results:
Only a small proportion of families had favorable lifestyle factors during pregnancy and early infancy, with 3.4% to 10.0%, 1.9% to 3.7%, and 12.2% to 23.6% scoring maximum for maternal, parental, and infancy HLS, respectively. Associations between higher HLSs and a lower risk of OWOB when measured by BMI z-scores or IOTF categories were found for maternal HLS and early (3/4 cohorts with available data), middle (1/2), and late childhood (2/4); parental HLS and early (3/4), middle (2/2), and late childhood (4/4). Associations between infancy HLS and childhood OWOB were less consistent and did not remain significant after additional adjustment for parental HLS. Associations with WHtR were solely significant in EDEN at 5.5 years.
Conclusions:
Greater maternal and parental adherence to healthy lifestyle behaviors during pregnancy was associated with a lower risk of offspring OWOB throughout childhood, illustrating the importance of promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors at the family level during pregnancy.
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