TY - JOUR
T1 - Gestational Weight Gain by Maternal Pre-pregnancy BMI and Childhood Problem Behaviours in School-Age Years
T2 - A Pooled Analysis of Two European Birth Cohorts
AU - Tore, Elena C.
AU - Antoniou, Evangelia E.
AU - de Groot, Renate H. M.
AU - Gielen, Marij
AU - Godschalk, Roger W. L.
AU - Roumeliotaki, Theano
AU - Smits, Luc
AU - Southwood, Taunton R.
AU - Spaanderman, Marc E. A.
AU - Stratakis, Nikos
AU - Vafeiadi, Marina
AU - Chatzi, Vaia L.
AU - Zeegers, Maurice P.
N1 - Funding Information:
The MEFAB cohort was financially supported by the Dutch organization for Scientific Research (NWO, Grant Number 90462186) and by the University Hospital of Maastricht (Profilerings Fonds). The Rhea Mother–Child cohort was funded by the European Union H2020 (LIFECYCLE), FP7 (HELIX, CHICOS, EnviroGenomarkers, ENRIECO, ESCAPE) and FP6 (HiWate, NewGeneris) programs. Additional funding sources are: the National Strategic Reference Framework (ESPA) 2007-13, the General Secretariat for Research and Technology in Greece and the Research Committee of the University of Crete, Greece. Funders had no influence on any stage of the preparation of the present article. Acknowledgements
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020, The Author(s).
PY - 2020/10
Y1 - 2020/10
N2 - Objectives Maternal pre-pregnancy weight is known to affect foetal development. However, it has not yet been clarified if gestational weight gain is associated with childhood behavioural development. Methods We performed a pooled analysis of two prospective birth cohorts to investigate the association between gestational weight gain and childhood problem behaviours, and the effect modification of maternal pre-pregnancy BMI. In total, 378 mother-child pairs from the Maastricht Essential Fatty Acids Birth cohort (MEFAB) and 414 pairs from the Rhea Mother-Child cohort were followed up from early pregnancy to 6-7 years post-partum. At follow up, parents assessed their children's behaviour, measured as total problems, internalizing and externalizing behaviours, with the Child Behaviour Checklist. We computed cohort- and subject-specific gestational weight gain trajectories using mixed-effect linear regression models. Fractional polynomial regressions, stratified by maternal pre-pregnancy BMI status, were then used to examine the association between gestational weight gain and childhood problem behaviours. Results In the pre-pregnancy overweight/obese group, greater gestational weight gain was associated with higher problem behaviours. On average, children of women with overweight/obesity who gained 0.5 kg/week scored 25 points higher (on a 0-100 scale) in total problems and internalizing behaviours, and about 18 points higher in externalizing behaviours than children whose mothers gained 0.2 kg/week. Inconsistent results were found in the pre-pregnancy normal weight group. Conclusions for Practice Excessive gestational weight gain in women with pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity might increase problem behaviours in school-age children. Particular attention should be granted to avoid excessive weight gain in women with a pre-pregnancy overweight or obesity.
AB - Objectives Maternal pre-pregnancy weight is known to affect foetal development. However, it has not yet been clarified if gestational weight gain is associated with childhood behavioural development. Methods We performed a pooled analysis of two prospective birth cohorts to investigate the association between gestational weight gain and childhood problem behaviours, and the effect modification of maternal pre-pregnancy BMI. In total, 378 mother-child pairs from the Maastricht Essential Fatty Acids Birth cohort (MEFAB) and 414 pairs from the Rhea Mother-Child cohort were followed up from early pregnancy to 6-7 years post-partum. At follow up, parents assessed their children's behaviour, measured as total problems, internalizing and externalizing behaviours, with the Child Behaviour Checklist. We computed cohort- and subject-specific gestational weight gain trajectories using mixed-effect linear regression models. Fractional polynomial regressions, stratified by maternal pre-pregnancy BMI status, were then used to examine the association between gestational weight gain and childhood problem behaviours. Results In the pre-pregnancy overweight/obese group, greater gestational weight gain was associated with higher problem behaviours. On average, children of women with overweight/obesity who gained 0.5 kg/week scored 25 points higher (on a 0-100 scale) in total problems and internalizing behaviours, and about 18 points higher in externalizing behaviours than children whose mothers gained 0.2 kg/week. Inconsistent results were found in the pre-pregnancy normal weight group. Conclusions for Practice Excessive gestational weight gain in women with pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity might increase problem behaviours in school-age children. Particular attention should be granted to avoid excessive weight gain in women with a pre-pregnancy overweight or obesity.
KW - Gestational weight gain
KW - Pre-pregnancy BMI
KW - Internalizing
KW - Externalizing
KW - Problem behaviours
KW - ADIPOSITY PRIOR
KW - PREGNANCY
KW - OBESITY
KW - DISORDERS
KW - SYMPTOMS
KW - CBCL
U2 - 10.1007/s10995-020-02962-y
DO - 10.1007/s10995-020-02962-y
M3 - Article
C2 - 32557131
SN - 1092-7875
VL - 24
SP - 1288
EP - 1298
JO - Maternal and Child Health Journal
JF - Maternal and Child Health Journal
IS - 10
ER -