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Association Between maternal body mass index, offspring growth and pubertal timing: results from a longitudinal birth

Siyu Zhou1,2,3, Michel H P Hof2,4, Ehsan Motazedi1,2

  • 1Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam University Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

American Journal of Epidemiology
|July 1, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Childhood obesity is linked to earlier puberty. This study found that both a child's body mass index (BMI) growth patterns and maternal pre-pregnancy BMI are associated with earlier pubertal timing in girls and boys.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Endocrinology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Rising childhood obesity rates coincide with earlier pubertal timing.
  • Previous research on early-life Body Mass Index (BMI) and pubertal timing, especially in boys, yielded inconsistent results.
  • Existing studies often used single BMI measurements, neglecting growth dynamics and maternal BMI's independent role.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between dynamic child BMI growth curves and maternal pre-pregnancy BMI with pubertal timing.
  • To clarify the role of early-life BMI trajectories in relation to pubertal onset, considering sex differences.
  • To explore intergenerational influences on pubertal development.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from 2982 participants in the Amsterdam Born Children and their Development cohort.
  • Employed joint Bayesian models combining linear mixed-effects and ordinal logistic regressions.
  • Analyzed child BMI growth curves from birth to age 8 and maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, stratified by sex and adjusted for confounders.

Main Results:

  • Greater BMI deviations during infancy and prepuberty were linked to earlier pubertal timing in both girls and boys.
  • Preschool BMI growth was particularly associated with earlier puberty in girls.
  • Maternal pre-pregnancy BMI independently correlated with earlier pubertal timing for both sexes.

Conclusions:

  • Childhood BMI growth dynamics and maternal pre-pregnancy BMI are significant factors influencing pubertal timing.
  • Findings underscore the importance of considering early growth trajectories and intergenerational factors in pubertal development.
  • The study highlights the value of dynamic BMI assessments over single measurements.

Keywords:
childhood BMIchildhood growthlinear mixed effect modelpre-pregnancy BMIpubertal timingsex differences

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