Premium
Modifiable early life exposures associated with adiposity and obesity in 3‐year old children born to mothers with obesity
Author(s) -
Dalrymple Kathryn V.,
Flynn Angela C.,
Seed Paul T.,
Briley Annette L.,
O'Keeffe Majella,
Godfrey Keith M.,
Poston Lucilla
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
pediatric obesity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.226
H-Index - 69
eISSN - 2047-6310
pISSN - 2047-6302
DOI - 10.1111/ijpo.12801
Subject(s) - medicine , obesity , overweight , body mass index , childhood obesity , snacking , pediatrics , pregnancy , biology , genetics
Summary Background Children born to mothers with obesity are at increased risk of obesity. Influences underlying this predisposition include in‐utero exposures, genetic predisposition and a shared family environment. Effective intervention strategies are needed to prevent obesity in these high‐risk children; this requires evaluation of modifiable pregnancy and early‐life risk factors. Objectives To assess the individual and cumulative contributions of maternal and early‐life modifiable exposures on childhood adiposity and obesity outcomes in 3‐year‐old children born to women with obesity. Methods We used adjusted regression to assess the individual and cumulative contributions of six exposures (early pregnancy BMI, excessive gestational weight gain, mode of infant feeding and three measures of childhood eating habits [food responsiveness, slowness in eating and a processed/snacking dietary pattern score]) on body composition in 495 three‐year‐old children. Outcomes included BMI z ‐score, arm circumference and overweight/obesity (BMI≥25.0 kg/m 2 ). Results While the UPBEAT intervention did not influence adiposity outcomes in 3‐year‐old children, the six modifiable exposures combined incrementally to increase childhood adiposity and obesity. For each additional exposure, children had a higher BMI z ‐score ( β = 0.35SD [95% confidence interval: 0.23, 0.47]), arm circumference ( β = 0.59 cm [0.40, 0.79]) and risk of overweight/obesity (relative risk 1.49 [1.26, 1.77]). Compared to no exposures, children with four or more exposures had a higher BMI z ‐score (1.11SD [0.65, 1.58]), arm circumference (2.15 cm [1.41, 2.89]) and risk of overweight/obesity (3.01 [1.67, 5.41]) (all P < 0.001). Conclusion Our findings suggest that complex interventions targeting preconception, pregnancy, perinatal and early childhood exposures offer a potential strategy for prevention of pre‐school obesity.