Meta-Analysis on Associations of Timing of Maternal Smoking Cessation Before and During Pregnancy With Childhood Overweight and Obesity

Close Adherence to a Mediterranean Diet during Pregnancy Decreases Childhood Overweight/Obesity: A Prospective Study

The study of dietary patterns during pregnancy may be of great importance for determining the potential risk of obesity in childhood. We assessed the prospective association between maternal adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) during pregnancy and risk of childhood overweight/obesity at 4 years. This prospective analysis involved 272 mother-child pairs from the ECLIPSES study. Maternal diet during pregnancy was assessed using a validated 45-item food-frequency questionnaire and a relative whole-pregnancy MedDiet score (rMedDiet) was calculated. The children's weight and height were measured at the age of 4. Primary outcome was childhood overweight/obesity based on age- and-sex-specific BMI z-score > 85th percentile using the WHO child growth standards. Mean maternal rMedDiet score in pregnancy was 9.8 (±standard deviation 2.3) and 25.7% of the children were overweight/obese. Significant differences in anthropometric measurements (weight, height, and BMI) were found according to sex, with higher scores for boys. After controlling for potential confounders, greater maternal adherence to rMedDiet during pregnancy was associated with a lower risk of childhood overweight/obesity, highest vs. lowest quartile (OR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.12-0.90; p-trend 0.037). Similar trends regarding this association (per 1-point increase rMedDiet score) were observed after stratification by advanced maternal age, maternal early pregnancy BMI, education, socioeconomic status, smoking, and gestational weight gain. Our findings suggest that closer adherence to the MedDiet during pregnancy may protect against the risk of offspring overweight/obesity at 4 years. Further research is needed to explore whether associations persist across the life course.

The links between parental smoking and childhood obesity: data of the longitudinal study of Australian children

Childhood obesity is one of the most concerning public health issues globally and its implications in mortality and morbidity in adulthood are increasingly important. This study uses a unique dataset of Australian children aged 4-16 to examine the impact of parental smoking on childhood obesity. It confirms a significant link between parental smoking (stronger for mothers) and higher obesity risk in children, regardless of income, age, family size, or birth order. Importantly, we explore whether heightened preference for unhealthy foods can mediate the effect of parental smoking. Our findings suggest that increased consumption of unhealthy foods among children can be associated with parental smoking.