Maternal weight and its association with risk of overweight in offspring: a trajectory analysis from a birth cohort in China

• Published in: World journal of pediatrics : WJP Vol. 20; no. 5; pp. 496 - 505
• Main Authors: Deng, Rui, Li, Wei-Qin, Li, Xing-Xiu, Wei, Liu-Mei, Hu, Jie, Leng, Jun-Hong, Dong, Bin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Singapore Springer Nature Singapore 01.05.2024
• Subjects: Adult; Birth Cohort; Body Mass Index; Child; China - epidemiology; Cohort Studies; Critical Care Medicine; Female; Gestational Weight Gain; Humans; Imaging; Intensive; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Maternal and Child Health; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Original Article; Overweight - epidemiology; Pediatric Obesity - epidemiology; Pediatric Surgery; Pediatrics; Pregnancy; Radiology; Risk Factors; Surgery; China; Pregnancy; Gestational weight gain; Body-weight trajectory; Child; Overweight
• ISSN: 1708-8569; 1867-0687
• DOI: 10.1007/s12519-023-00736-4

Background Most studies on the association of maternal pregnancy weight with offspring weight trajectory have a short follow-up time. This study aimed to explore the associations of maternal prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) with childhood weight trajectories in a 7-year birth cohort. Methods A total of 946 mother–child pairs (467 boys and 479 girls) from a longitudinal birth cohort in Tianjin City, China, were included in this study, ranging from pregnancy to offspring at 7 years. The outcome variable was defined as overweight or not overweight in offspring at the last round. A group-based trajectory model was applied to identify childhood BMI trajectory groups. Results Five discrete BMI trajectory groups were identified and characterized as constant underweight (25.2%), constant normal weight (42.8%), and high or increasing trajectory [at risk of overweight (16.9%), progressive overweight (11.0%) and progressive obesity (4.1%)]. Maternal prepregnancy overweight was associated with 1.72 (95% CI 1.14–2.60, P  = 0.01) to 4.02 (95% CI 1.94–8.36, P  < 0.001) times the risk of all high or increasing trajectory groups, and excessive GWG was related to groups at risk of overweight [relative risk ratio (RRR) 2.09, 95% CI 1.27–3.46, P  = 0.004] and progressive obesity (RRR 3.33, 95% CI 1.13–9.79, P  = 0.029). Children in all high or increasing trajectory groups were associated with greater overweight risk at the last round [risk ratios (RRs) ranged from 3.54 (95% CI 2.53–4.95, P  < 0.001) to 6.18 (95% CI 4.05–9.42, P  < 0.001)]. Conclusion Maternal prepregnancy overweight and excessive gestational weight gain were associated with increasing or high-level childhood body mass index trajectories as well as a greater risk of overweight at 7 years.