Overall gestational weight gain mediates the relationship between maternal and child obesity

Pre-Gestational Obesity and Gestational Weight Gain as Predictors of Childhood Obesity

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the associations of pre-gestational body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) with the risks of overweight, obesity, and adiposity in the first seven years of life in the offspring of a cohort of pregnant women.

METHODS

Analysis of 751 mothers and their children participating in the PROGRESS cohort. These women were recruited in Mexico City between 2007 and 2010. Pre-gestational BMI was classified as normal, overweight, and obesity according to the WHO. GWG was calculated as the difference between the last reported pre-pregnancy weight and the pre-gestational weight and categorized as inadequate, adequate, or excessive, according to US IOM recommendations. Children's anthropometry was evaluated at 4-5 and 6-7 years of age. Adiposity was classified into three groups: normal (BMI z-score and waist circumference), overweight (BMI z-score>1), and overweight plus abdominal obesity (OW+AO). A generalized structural equation model (GSEM) was constructed to account for the temporal relationship between variables and to assess direct and indirect effects.

RESULTS

A total of 49.3% of the women had excessive (13.8 ± 4.2 kg) and 19.8% inadequate (3.15 ± 3.4 kg) GWG. Women with pre-gestational overweight or obesity were more likely to have excessive GWG (OR 1.9 [95% CI: 1.32, 2.74] and 3.50 [95% CI: 1.83, 6.69], respectively). In the GSEM, excessive GWG was directly associated with OW+AO at 4-5 years. At 6-7 years, pre-gestational obesity was associated with OW+AO.

CONCLUSION

Pre-gestational obesity and excessive GWG were independent predictors of childhood obesity.

The connection between epigenetics and gut microbiota-current perspective

Both the epigenetic changes and gut microbiota (GM) have attracted a growing interest in establishing effective diagnostics and potential therapeutic strategies for a number of diseases. These disorders include metabolic, central nervous system-related diseases, autoimmune, and gastrointestinal infections (GI). Despite the number of studies, there is no extensive review that connects the epigenetics modifications and GM as biomarkers that could confer effective diagnostics and confer treatment options. To this end, this review hopes to give detailed information on connecting the modifications in epigenetic and GM. An updated and detailed information on the connection between the epigenetics factors and GM that influence diseases are given. In addition, the review showed some associations between the epigenetics to the maternal GM and offspring health. Finally, the limitations of the concept and prospects into this new emerging discipline were also looked into. Although this review elucidated on the maternal diet and response to offspring health with respect to GM and epigenetic modifications, there still exist various limitations to this newly emerging discipline. In addition to integrating complementary multi-omics data, longitudinal sampling will aid with the identification of functional mechanisms that may serve as therapeutic targets. To this end, this review gave a detailed perspective into harnessing disease diagnostics, prevention and treatment options through epigenetics and GM.

Genetic risk score for gestational weight gain

Gestational weight gain (GWG) involves health consequences for both mother and offspring. Genetic factors seem to play a role in the GWG trait. For small effect sizes of a single genetic polymorphism (SNP), a genetic risk score (GRS) summarizing risk-associated variation from multiple SNPs can serve as an effective approach to genetic association analysis. The aim of the study was to analyze the association between genetic risk score (GRS) and gestational weight gain (GWG). GWG was calculated for a total of 342 healthy Polish women of Caucasian origin, aged 19 to 45 years. The SNPs rs9939609 (FTO), rs6548238 (TMEM18), rs17782313 (MC4R), rs10938397 (GNPDA2), rs10913469 (SEC16B), rs1137101 (LEPR), rs7799039 (LEP), and rs5443 (GNB3) were genotyped using commercial TaqMan SNP assays. A simple genetic risk score was calculated into two ways: GRS1 based on the sum of risk alleles from each of the SNPs, while GRS2 based on the sum of risk alleles of FTO, LEPR, LEP, and GNB3. Positive association between GRS2 and GWG (β = 0.12, p = 0.029) was observed. Genetic risk variants of TMEM18 (p = 0.006, OR = 2.6) and GNB3 (p < 0.001, OR = 3.3) are more frequent in women with increased GWG, but a risk variant of GNPDA2 (p < 0.001, OR = 2.7) is more frequent in women with adequate GWG, and a risk variant of LEPR (p = 0.011, OR = 3.1) in women with decreased GWG. GRS2 and genetic variants of TMEM18, GNB3, GNPDA2, and LEPR are associated with weight gain during pregnancy.

Parental BMI and country classification by Gross National Income are stronger determinants of prospective BMI deterioration compared to perinatal risk factors at pre-adolescence: Feel4Diabetes Study

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to evaluate all known risk factors, from perinatal to adolescence and identify those predominantly related with prospective BMI deterioration.

METHODS

Prospective data analysis from the European Feel4Diabetes-study involving 12,211 children from six countries. Details on perinatal and sociodemographic characteristics were collected by parental self-reported questionnaires. Children's anthropometric data were measured by research personnel. Associations between risk factors and children's BMI deterioration (i.e increase) from baseline (mean age 8.2 ± 0.98 years) to the 2-year follow-up (10.3 ± 1.0 years) were explored by applying logistic regression analyses.

RESULTS

Univariate analysis revealed that all known risk factors for early overweight/obesity development, remained dominant in prospective BMI deterioration. When multivariate analysis was applied including additional variables such as parents' current BMI status, family socio-demographic characteristics and country economic classification based on Gross National Income, most perinatal risk factors were no longer significant. Multivariate analysis revealed that pre-pregnancy maternal overweight/obesity (OR, 95%CI: 2.71, 1.67-4.38), early introduction of solid foods (2.54, 1.21-5.31), parental current BMI status (3.53, 2.17-5.72) and country economic classification (low income: 4.67, 2.20-9.93; under austerity measures: 6.78, 3.18-14.48) were the only parameters associated with higher odds for children's BMI deterioration from the study baseline to 2-year follow-up after adjusting for children's gender.

CONCLUSIONS

The most predominant risk factors influencing children's prospective BMI deterioration were parental BMI and country economic classification as compared to perinatal. These findings should guide public health initiatives aiming to tackle the childhood obesity epidemic and social inequalities on a European level.

The Uterine Environment and Childhood Obesity Risk: Mechanisms and Predictions

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Childhood obesity is a growing health problem in many populations, hence the urgent need to unravel the underlying mechanisms. Some evidence suggests that exposure to suboptimal intrauterine environments can program foetal metabolic health, with adverse consequences in later life, including susceptibility to childhood obesity.

FINDINGS

Factors such as high and low foetal birth weight, excessive gestational-weight-gain, maternal stress and smoking are all associated with increased risk of childhood obesity in observational studies. Animal models, where both genetic background and the postnatal environment can be carefully controlled, suggest that several different mechanisms, including epigenetic changes, dysregulation of adipose tissue development and programming of appetite, may be key drivers of developmental programming of childhood obesity. However, the influence of genetics and the post-natal environment are much more difficult to disentangle as independent effects in human studies, which are also complicated by low follow-up rates. Suboptimal intrauterine environments interact with maternal and foetal genetics and with the postnatal environment to contribute to the risk of childhood obesity. Maternal metabolic challenges, for example obesity and insulin resistance, contribute to the risk of foetal overgrowth and subsequent adiposity in childhood. To protect the long-term health of populations, research focusing on effective means of identifying and intervening in the transgenerational cycle of childhood obesity is required.

Protective Effect of Prenatal Social Support on the Intergenerational Transmission of Obesity in Low-Income Hispanic Families

Background: Prepregnancy overweight/obesity (OW/OB) is a strong risk factor for child obesity. Few studies have identified modifiable factors that mitigate this risk. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine if prenatal social support buffers the effect of prepregnancy OW/OB on child birth weight z-score (BWz) and weight-for-age z-score (WFAz) trajectory. Methods: We performed a longitudinal secondary analysis of 524 mother-infant pairs enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of the Starting Early Program, a child obesity prevention program for Hispanic families with low income. Social support was assessed in the third trimester of pregnancy; maternal prepregnancy OW/OB and child WFAz from birth to age 3 years were obtained from medical records. Linear regression and multilevel modeling tested the effects of maternal prepregnancy OW/OB on child weight outcomes, and whether prenatal social support moderated these effects. Results: Prepregnancy OW/OB was associated with significantly higher child BWz (B = 0.23, p = 0.01) and WFAz trajectories (B = 0.19, 0.01). The interaction between social support and prepregnancy OW/OB was negatively related to child BWz (B = -0.26, p = 0.02) and WFAz trajectory (B = -0.40, p = 0.047). Conclusions: Prenatal social support may be protective against the intergenerational transmission of obesity risk. Interventions for the prevention of child obesity should consider incorporating social support into their design. Clinical Trial Registration Number: NCT01541761.

Excess glucose or fat differentially affects metabolism and appetite-related gene expression during zebrafish embryogenesis

Zebrafish embryos use their yolk sac reserve as the sole nutrient source during embryogenesis. The two main forms of energy fuel can be found in the form of glucose or fat. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to glucose or injected with free fatty acid/Triacylglycerol (FFA/TAG) into the yolk sac at 24 hpf. At 72 hpf, glucose exposed or FFA/TAG injected had differential effects on gene expression in embryos, with fat activating lipolysis and β-oxidation and glucose activating the insulin pathway. Bulk RNA-seq revealed that more gene expression was affected by glucose exposure compared to FFA/TAGs injection. Appetite-controlling genes were also differently affected by glucose exposure or FFA/TAG injections. Because the embryo did not yet feed itself at the time of our analysis, gene expression changes occurred in absence of actual hunger and revealed how the embryo manages its nutrient intake before active feeding.

Maternal Pre-Pregnancy BMI, Offspring Adiposity in Late Childhood, and Age of Weaning: A Causal Mediation Analysis

Infant feeding practices have been hypothesized to influence offspring's body mass index (BMI) later in life, and women with overweight or obesity tend to wean their infants earlier than women with healthy BMI. We, therefore, aimed to investigate how much early age of weaning mediated the maternal-offspring adiposity relationship. The study included 4920 mother-child pairs from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children birth cohort. G-computation was applied to estimate the natural direct (NDE) and indirect (NIE) effects, via the age of weaning (<3 months, 3 months, >3 months), of maternal pre-pregnancy overweight or obesity on offspring's BMI and fat mass index. The NDE of maternal overweight or obesity on offspring BMI at 17 years old was 2.63 kg/m² (95% CI: 2.27 to 2.99). The NIE via the age of weaning was 0.02 kg/m² (95% CI: 0.00 to 0.04), corresponding to 0.8% of the total effect. Similar results were observed for the offspring's fat mass index. The NDE and NIE were similar to the main analyses when we looked at the relationship stratified by breastfeeding status. Our study found a minimal influence of age of weaning on the pathway between maternal and offspring adiposity, indicating the age of weaning may not be a key mediator.

Associations of the Neighborhood Built Environment with Gestational Weight Gain

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to determine whether specific factors of the built environment related to physical activity and diet are associated with inadequate and excessive gestational weight gain (GWG).

STUDY DESIGN

This analysis is based on data from the Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: Monitoring Mothers-To-Be, a prospective cohort of nulliparous women who were followed from the beginning of their pregnancies through delivery. At each study visit, home addresses were recorded and geocoded. Locations were linked to several built-environment characteristics such as the census tract National Walkability Score (the 2010 Walkability Index) and the number of gyms, parks, and grocery stores within a 3-km radius of residential address. The primary outcome of GWG (calculated as the difference between prepregnancy weight and weight at delivery) was categorized as inadequate, appropriate, or excessive based on weight gained per week of gestation. Multinomial regression (generalized logit) models evaluated the relationship between each factor in the built environment and excessive or inadequate GWG.

RESULTS

Of the 8,182 women in the analytic sample, 5,819 (71.1%) had excessive GWG, 1,426 (17.4%) had appropriate GWG, and 937 (11.5%) had inadequate GWG. For the majority of variables examined, built environments more conducive to physical activity and healthful food availability were associated with a lower odds of excessive or inadequate GWG category. For example, a higher number of gyms or parks within 3 km of a participant's residential address was associated with lower odds of having excessive (gyms: adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.93 [0.89-0.96], parks: 0.94 [0.90-0.98]) or inadequate GWG (gyms: 0.91 [0.86-0.96]; parks: 0.91 [0.86-0.97]). Similarly, a higher number of grocery stores was associated with lower odds of having excessive GWG (0.94 [0.91-0.97]).

CONCLUSION

Among a diverse population of nulliparous women, multiple aspects of the built environment are associated with excessive and inadequate GWG.

KEY POINTS

· There are little data on the association between the built environment and pregnancy outcomes.. · Multiple aspects of the built environment are associated with excessive and inadequate GWG.. · These results suggest the role that neighborhood investment may play in improving pregnancy outcomes..

Association between maternal weight gain during pregnancy and child's body mass index at preschool age

BACKGROUND

Recent studies reported that prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and weight gain during pregnancy affect birth weight and contribute to childhood obesity. However, no such data are available in Korea.

PURPOSE

This study gathered data on weight gain during pregnancy and its impact on birth weight and childhood obesity in Korea.

METHODS

We reviewed 1,753 singleton full-term babies born at CHA Bundang Medical Center in 2014-2016. We first review each maternal and baby factor based on prepregnancy BMI (underweight, normal, overweight/obese) and then divided them into low, normal, and excess gestational weight gain (GWG) groups based on the American Institute of Medicine (IOM) guidelines. We reviewed the characteristics of each group and analyzed the association between maternal GWG based on IOM guidelines and child BMI after 6 years.

RESULTS

The maternal prepregnancy BMI group showed a significant difference in birth weight and child BMI at 6 years. As the prepregnancy BMI increased, the birth weight and BMI at 6 years also increased (P<0.001). Mean birth weight and child BMI at 6 years differed significantly among the GWG groups. Furthermore, excess postpartum weight gain increased the risk of childhood overweight and obesity (odds ratio, 2.21; 95% confidence interval, 1.40-3.49).

CONCLUSION

Excess weight gain during pregnancy should be avoided due to its short- and long-term association with childhood obesity. Owing to the high prevalence of excess GWG and childhood obesity, excess weight gain during pregnancy can have significant public health implications.

Prenatal metabolomic profiles mediate the effect of maternal obesity on early childhood growth trajectories and obesity risk: the Conditions Affecting Neurocognitive Development and Learning in Early Childhood (CANDLE) Study

BACKGROUND

Maternal prepregnancy obesity is an important risk factor for offspring obesity, which may partially operate through prenatal programming mechanisms.

OBJECTIVES

The study aimed to systematically identify prenatal metabolomic profiles mediating the intergenerational transmission of obesity.

METHODS

We included 450 African-American mother-child pairs from the Conditions Affecting Neurocognitive Development and Learning in Early Childhood (CANDLE) Study pregnancy cohort. LC-MS was used to conduct metabolomic profiling on maternal plasma samples of the second trimester. The childhood growth outcomes of interest included BMI trajectories from birth to age 4 y (rising-high-, moderate-, and low-BMI trajectories) as well as overweight/obesity (OWO) risk at age 4 y. Mediation analysis was conducted to identify metabolite mediators linking maternal OWO and childhood growth outcomes. The potential causal effects of maternal OWO on metabolite mediators were examined using the Mendelian randomization (MR) method.

RESULTS

Among the 880 metabolites detected in the maternal plasma during pregnancy, 14 and 11 metabolites significantly mediated the effects of maternal prepregnancy OWO on childhood BMI trajectories and the OWO risk at age 4 y, respectively, and 5 mediated both outcomes. The MR analysis suggested 6 of the 20 prenatal metabolite mediators might be causally influenced by maternal prepregnancy OWO, most of which are from the pathways related to the metabolism of amino acids (hydroxyasparagine, glutamate, and homocitrulline), sterols (campesterol), and nucleotides (N2,N2-dimethylguanosine).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study provides further evidence that prenatal metabolomic profiles might mediate the effect of maternal OWO on early childhood growth trajectories and OWO risk in offspring. The metabolic pathways, including identified metabolite mediators, might provide novel intervention targets for preventing the intrauterine development of obesity in the offspring of mothers with obesity.

Comparison of the key modifiable factors in the first 1000 days predicting subsequent overweight and obesity in pre-school children in Tehran: a case-control study

The identification of paediatric obesity predictors in the early stages of life is warranted, as it can influence the development of effective strategies to prevent metabolic disorders. In this case-control study, we assessed nine risk factors for paediatric obesity, namely a birth weight > 4000 g, an exclusive breast-feeding period < 4 months, the introduction of solid food at < 4 months, maternal overweight or obesity before pregnancy, maternal smoking during pregnancy, the presence of gestational diabetes, paternal overweight and obesity and paternal smoking. In order to identify the most relevant predictors of paediatric obesity, we employed a multiple logistic regression model with R2 Cox Snell by adjusting confounders. In the randomly selected 509 preschool children from Tehran, children exposed to gestational diabetes had the maximum predicted probability of obesity (4·36 (1·94, 9·80) %) among the analysed risk factors %. The introduction of solid food at < 4 months of age increased the risk of obesity by 2·98 (1·77, 4·97 %). The OR of childhood obesity was associated with maternal overweight and obesity (2·72(1·60-4·60) %), maternal smoking (2·21 (1·18, 4·11) %) and excessive gestational weight gain (1·89 (1·23, 2·91) %). Paternal smoking and high birth weight increased the risk of paediatrics obesity > 1·8 times (1·15-2·94) and > 1·5 times (1·015-2·43), respectively. There was no association between the paternal BMI, the exclusive breast-feeding time and the risk of paediatric obesity. Among early risk factors, probably gestational diabetes can be considered as the most important predictor for the risk of paediatric obesity.

Effect of maternal hypertensive disorders during pregnancy on offspring's early childhood body weight: A population-based cohort study

OBJECTIVE

The prevalence of hypertensive disorder during pregnancy (HDP) and childhood obesity is increasing worldwide. HDP or obesity in mothers can increase the risk of overweight/obesity (OWOB) in their children. Few longitudinal studies have examined the associations of maternal body weight with the growth and risk factors for overweight in infants born to mothers with HDP. This study examined the risk factors for childhood OWOB through the age of 66 months in children born to mothers with HDP.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In total, 24,200 pairs of mothers and their children were selected from the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study. The children's body weights were classified and analyzed to determine infant growth at birth and at the ages of 12, 24, 36, and 66 months. Multiple logistic regression analyses with different model settings were performed to identify the factors affecting growth and childhood OWOB in the children of mothers with HDP.

RESULTS

The average birth weight of children was lower in the HDP group than in the non-HDP group. The catch-up phenomenon began at the age of 18 months. The incidence of OWOB was higher in the children in the HDP group than in those in the non-HDP group from the age of 24 months and increased with the children's age. At every age point, maternal overweight before pregnancy was the main risk factor for childhood OWOB, and this effect increased with the children's age (odds ratio [OR]: 1.83 at 66 months). The effect of excessive maternal gestational weight gain on childhood OWOB was significant (OR: 1.26-1.44 for various age points).

CONCLUSION

Maternal overweight is the main risk factor for OWOB in children born to mothers with HDP. After adjusting for related confounders, we determined that HDP did not exert a significant effect on the risk of childhood OWOB.

Anti-inflammatory diets reduce the risk of excessive gestational weight gain in urban South Africans from the Soweto First 1000-Day Study (S1000)

Purpose

To (i): examine whether maternal dietary inflammation assessed using the dietary inflammatory index (DII) is associated with gestational weight gain (GWG) and delivery outcomes in urban South African women from the Soweto First 1000-Day Study (S1000); and (ii): explore whether serum high-sensitivity c-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels mediate these associations.

Methods

Energy-adjusted-DII (E-DII™) scores were calculated for 478 pregnant women using a quantitative food frequency questionnaire. GWG (kg/week) was assessed via anthropometry and hs-CRP concentrations were assessed in a sub-sample at < 14 (n = 263) and at 24–28 (n = 270) weeks gestational age. Multivariable linear and logistic regression models were used to examine associations between maternal E-DII scores, GWG, hs-CRP concentrations, and delivery outcomes.

Results

Positive vs. negative E-DII scores were associated with an increased odds of excessive weight gain (OR (95% CI): 2.23 (1.20; 4.14); P = 0.01) during pregnancy. Higher hs-CRP concentrations in the first trimester were associated with lower weight-for-length z-score (β (95% CI): −0.06 (−0.11; −0.01) per 1 mg/l hs-CRP; P = 0.02) and a reduction in odds of a large-for-gestational age delivery (OR (95% CI): 0.66 (0.47; 0.94); P = 0.02). Higher hs-CRP concentrations in the second trimester were associated with an increased odds of delivering preterm (OR (95% CI): 1.16 (1.01; 1.32); P = 0.03).

Conclusions

Consumption of an anti-inflammatory diet during pregnancy reduced the risk of excessive GWG in a rapidly urbanising setting (Soweto, South Africa), where obesity prevalence rates are high. Further research is needed to better understand how maternal diet may ameliorate the effects of maternal adiposity on inflammatory milieu and fetal programming.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00394-022-02931-x.

Association between pre-pregnancy body mass index and gestational weight gain on pregnancy outcomes: a cohort study in Indonesian pregnant women

Background

Pre-pregnancy BMI (PP BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) are prominent anthropometric indicators for maternal nutritional status and are related to an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. This study aimed to determine the factors affecting total GWG, PP BMI and pregnancy outcomes among pregnant women in West Sumatra, Indonesia.

Methods

This observational analysis was conducted among healthy women in the Vitamin D Pregnant Mother (VDPM) cohort study. A total of 195 pregnant women and their newborn babies were enrolled, and information regarding their socio-demographic characteristics, obstetric history, dietary intake and anthropometric data were assessed through direct interviews. Furthermore, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) 2009 guidelines were used to obtain the total GWG.

Results

PP BMI was used to categorise the 195 pregnant women as overweight/obese (43.1%), normal (46.7%) and underweight (10.2%). There were 53.3%, 34.4% and 12.3% of women who had inadequate, adequate and excessive GWG, respectively. The multinomial logistic regression model indicated that overweight or obese women at the pre-pregnancy stage were 4.09 times more likely to have an excessive rate of GWG (AOR = 4.09, 95% CI: 1.38–12.12, p = 0.011) than those whose weight was normal. Furthermore, women with excessive GWG were 27.11 times more likely to have a baby with macrosomia (AOR = 27.11, 95% CI: 2.99–245.14) (p = 0.001) and those with inadequate GWG were 9.6 times more likely to give birth to a baby with low birth weight (LBW) (AOR = 9.60, 95% CI; 0.88–105.2) (p = 0.002).

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that the malnutrition status prior to pregnancy and inadequate or excessive GWG status during pregnancy as significant risk factors for developing adverse pregnancy outcomes. These findings highlight the importance of providing information, preconception counselling and health education on weight management for healthy pregnancies.

Supplementary information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12884-022-04815-8.

E-1500: Survey on feeding practices in the first 1,500 days of life, recommended by healthcare professionals in Latin America

INTRODUCTION

Health-disease processes are established and programmed in the first 1500 days of life, a period in which nutrition and the microbiota play a fundamental role. Feeding practices vary, according to regional sociocultural characteristics. The Early Nutrition Group of the Latin American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (LASPGHAN) established the goal of identifying the main feeding practices in the first 1500 days that were recommended by health professionals in Latin America.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A survey was conducted on the aspects of maternal-infant and young child nutrition during the first 1500 days of life. An open invitation was extended to Latin American healthcare professionals to anonymously answer the online survey.

RESULTS

A total of 1284 surveys from participants in 18 Latin American countries were analyzed. The mean age of the participants was 37.14 ± 11.1 years, 75.7% were women, 64.7% were physicians, and the rest were nutritionists/nutriologists. A total of 71.4% were familiar with the concept of the first 1000 days of life, 95% answered that exclusive breastfeeding should be carried out up to 6 months of age, and 34.3% responded that complementary feeding should be begun between 4 and 6 months of age. There was scant knowledge regarding nutrition in the pregnant woman. Adherence to traditional complementary feeding practices was evident.

CONCLUSIONS

In a group of Latin American healthcare professionals, knowledge about nutrition in the first 1000-1500 days of life of an individual is still incomplete and insufficient, showing the need for continued training of healthcare professionals, with respect to those themes.

Child Anthropometrics and Neurodevelopment at 2 and 3 Years of Age Following an Antenatal Lifestyle Intervention in Routine Care-A Secondary Analysis from the Cluster-Randomised GeliS Trial

Maternal characteristics around pregnancy may influence obesity risk and neurodevelopment in children. To date, the effect of antenatal lifestyle interventions on long-term child development is unclear. The objective was to investigate the potential long-term effects of an antenatal lifestyle intervention programme conducted alongside routine care on child anthropometrics and neurodevelopment up to 3 years of age. Mother-child pairs from the cluster-randomised GeliS trial were followed up to 3 years of age. Data on child anthropometrics in both groups were collected from routine health examinations. Neurodevelopment was assessed via questionnaire. Of the 2286 study participants, 1644 mother-child pairs were included in the analysis. Children from the intervention group were less likely to score below the cut-off in Fine motor (p = 0.002), and more likely to have a score below the cut-off in Problem-solving (p < 0.001) compared to the control group at 3 years of age. Mean weight, height, head circumference, body mass index, and the respective z-scores and percentiles were comparable between the groups at 2 and 3 years of age. We found no evidence that the lifestyle intervention affected offspring development up to 3 years of age. Further innovative intervention approaches are required to improve child health in the long-term.

Prevalence and associated factors for stunting, underweight and wasting among children under 6 years of age in rural Hunan Province, China: a community-based cross-sectional study

Background

The existing epidemiological data cannot represent the situation of undernutrition among Chinese children, particularly those in rural China. Hence, in this community-based cross-sectional study, the prevalence and associated factors of stunting, underweight and wasting among children (age < 6 years) from rural Hunan Province were analyzed.

Methods

Totally 5529 children aged 0 to 71 months and their caregivers were randomly chosen by multistage stratified cluster sampling from 72 villages from rural Hunan, which were distributed in 24 towns of 12 counties. Data about the children and their mothers, caregivers and family conditions was acquired using unified questionnaire, and the length/height and weight of each child were measured using unified instruments. The prevalence of undernutrition among children was evaluated using the length/height for age, weight for age, weight for length/height, and body mass index for age z scores, which were computed according to the 2006 and 2007 WHO Child Growth Standards.

Results

The prevalence of stunting, underweight, and wasting among the 5529 children were 4.4% (241), 3.9% (217), and 4.0% (221), respectively. The significant associated factors on higher risks of undernutrition in the children were low birth weight, maternal gestational weight gain <10 kg (stunting); low birth weight, maternal gestational weight gain <10 kg, ethnicity of caregivers being minority, large family size (underweight); low birth weight, ethnicity of caregivers being minority, large family size (wasting). High education level of caregivers and high family food expenditure were common protective factors for all three types of undernutrition, except that high family food expenditure was not protective against wasting.

Conclusions

The prevalence of stunting, underweight and wasting is low among rural children under age of 6 years in Hunan. As for the measures, the gestational care and reasonable diet of mothers should be strengthened, and nutritional deficiency during pregnancy be avoided, which will prevent low birth weight. The local economic development and the education level of caregivers need to be further improved, especially for minorities.

Fetal programming of human energy homeostasis brain networks: Issues and considerations

In this paper, we present a transdisciplinary framework and testable hypotheses regarding the process of fetal programming of energy homeostasis brain circuitry. Our model proposes that key aspects of energy homeostasis brain circuitry already are functional by the time of birth (with substantial interindividual variation); that this phenotypic variation at birth is an important determinant of subsequent susceptibility for energy imbalance and childhood obesity risk; and that this brain circuitry exhibits developmental plasticity, in that it is influenced by conditions during intrauterine life, particularly maternal-placental-fetal endocrine, immune/inflammatory, and metabolic processes and their upstream determinants. We review evidence that supports the scientific premise for each element of this formulation, identify future research directions, particularly recent advances that may facilitate a better quantification of the ontogeny of energy homeostasis brain networks, highlight animal and in vitro-based approaches that may better address the determinants of interindividual variation in energy homeostasis brain networks, and discuss the implications of this formulation for the development of strategies targeted towards the primary prevention of childhood obesity.

The mediating role of gestational diabetes mellitus in the associations of maternal prepregnancy body mass index with neonatal birth weight

BACKGROUND

Both prepregnancy obesity and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have been linked to adverse neonatal birth weight. However, the mediating role of GDM between prepregnancy obesity and neonatal birth weight is unclear.

METHOD

The cohort study included 17 260 singleton pregnant women and their newborns. Participants' demographic characteristics, disease history, family history of the disease, and the perinatal outcomes were recorded. The association between maternal prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) status and small for gestational age (SGA) or large for gestational age (LGA) neonates was analyzed using logistic regressions, before and after adjusting for covariates and GDM. The potential mediation of GDM on the association between prepregnancy BMI and adverse birth weight was examined.

RESULT

Multivariate logistic regression demonstrated that prepregnancy underweight women were more likely to deliver SGA neonates compared to those who had normal weights, whereas prepregnancy obese pregnant women were more likely to have LGA neonates. The RMediation analyses illustrated that the mediation effect of GDM on the maternal prepregnancy BMI (continuous variable) and the risk of SGA was not significant, whereas the association between prepregnancy BMI and LGA was statistically mediated by GDM (95%CI of a*b: 0.009-0.051). The Iacobacci (2012) method indicated that the impact of maternal prepregnancy overweight (Zmediation = 2.418, P = .015) and obesity (Zmediation = 2.165, P = .030) on LGA was partially mediated by GDM, with an indirect effect of 16.3% and 13.1%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Prepregnancy BMI was observed to be associated with SGA and LGA. The association of prepregnancy overweight and obesity with LGA was found to be partially mediated by GDM.

Sex-Specific Effects of Maternal and Post-Weaning High-Fat Diet on Adipose Tissue Remodeling and Asprosin Expression in Mice Offspring

SCOPE

Perinatal high-fat diet (HFD) increases risk of metabolic disorders in offspring. Adipose tissue remodeling is associated with metabolic syndrome. The current study characterizes the profile of maternal HFD-induced changes in adipose tissue remodeling and adipokines expression in mice offspring.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Female C57BL/6 mice are fed with CHOW or HFD for 2 weeks before mating, throughout gestation and lactation. At weaning, pups are randomly fed with CHOW or HFD, resulting in eight groups according to sex and maternal diet: Male CHOW-CHOW (MCC), Male CHOW-HFD (MCH), Male HFD-CHOW (MHC), Male HFD-HFD (MHH), Female CHOW-CHOW (FCC), Female CHOW-HFD (FCH), Female HFD-CHOW (FHC), and Female HFD-HFD (FHH). Increased body weight, impaired glucose tolerance, increased adipose tissue mass and hypertrophy, and decreased circulating asprosin level are only observed in male offspring exposure to maternal HFD. Serum asprosin level negatively correlates with fasting blood glucose, serum cholesterol (CHO), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels, while positively correlates with serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT) levels in male offspring. A combination of genetic and biochemical analyses of adipokines shows the depot- and sex-specific changes in response to maternal and/or post-weaning HFD.

CONCLUSION

This study's results reveal the differential metabolic changes in response to maternal and/or post-weaning HFD in male and female offspring. The effect of maternal HFD on metabolic phonotype is more obvious in male offspring, supporting the notion that males are more susceptible to HFD-induced metabolic disorders.

Aberrant DNA Methylation Mediates the Transgenerational Risk of Metabolic and Chronic Disease Due to Maternal Obesity and Overnutrition

Maternal obesity is a rapidly evolving universal epidemic leading to acute and long-term medical and obstetric health issues, including increased maternal risks of gestational diabetes, hypertension and pre-eclampsia, and the future risks for offspring's predisposition to metabolic diseases. Epigenetic modification, in particular DNA methylation, represents a mechanism whereby environmental effects impact on the phenotypic expression of human disease. Maternal obesity or overnutrition contributes to the alterations in DNA methylation during early life which, through fetal programming, can predispose the offspring to many metabolic and chronic diseases, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, obesity, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease. This review aims to summarize findings from human and animal studies, which support the role of maternal obesity in fetal programing and the potential benefit of altering DNA methylation to limit maternal obesity related disease in the offspring.

Childhood growth of term singletons born after frozen compared with fresh embryo transfer

RESEARCH QUESTION

Is the growth of term singletons born after frozen embryo transfer (FET) comparable to those born after fresh embryo transfer and natural conception up to 5 years of age?

DESIGN

Observational cohort study in an academic medical centre and municipal child health clinics with repeated measurements carried out by medical professionals. Term singletons born after FET (n = 110) and fresh embryo transfer (n = 181) and their matched natural conception controls (n = 543) born in Oulu, Northern Finland, were included. Mean weights, lengths, heights and head circumferences at the ages of 4, 8 and 18 months and 3 and 5 years were compared. At 3 and 5 years, body mass indices were compared.

RESULTS

Childhood growth did not differ between term singletons born after FET, fresh embryo transfer and natural conception, correcting for exact age at measurement and adjusting for maternal body mass index and paternal height.

CONCLUSIONS

Similar growth between children born after FET, fresh embryo transfer and natural conception offers reassurance of the safety and feasibility of the steadily increasing use of embryo cryopreservation in assisted reproduction.

Racial Disparities in Obesity Treatment Among Children and Adolescents

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

With the growing obesity epidemic among children and adolescents, the evaluation of disease origin to slow disease progression is necessary. Racial disparities which are evident amid prevalence and treatment must be studied to counteract disease propagation.

RECENT FINDINGS

Disparities are pronounced among Black and Hispanic pediatric patients prior to conception and birth due to genetic composition and fetal environment. Postnatal environment and psychosocial influences can further increase a child/adolescent's propensity to increased weight. Current treatment options including nutrition, physical activity, behavior modification, pharmacotherapy, and surgery are underutilized in communities of color due to limited access to care and cost. Data is limited to demonstrate disparities among treatment of obesity in children and adolescents. The reviewed studies show the role of race on disease treatment. Increased research efforts, especially in pharmacotherapy and metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS), will help combat obesity in pediatric communities of color.

Association of Infant Feeding Methods and Excess Weight from Birth to Age 6

Objective: To examine the associations between human milk feeding method (at the breast versus bottle) and measures of child adiposity during the first 6 years of life. Study Design: Women 12 months' postpartum who delivered a singleton, liveborn infant at >24 weeks gestation completed a survey assessing infant feeding methods and sociodemographics. Mothers were recontacted when the child was 6 years old for a follow-up study assessing growth (N = 269). Children were categorized as ever or never having excess weight using weight-for-age z-scores (WAZ), weight-for-height z-scores (WHZ), and body mass index-for-age z-scores (BMIZ) from birth to 6 years. Modified Poisson regression estimated associations between the duration of each feeding method (exclusive and combined) with excess weight status. Mixed-effect models estimated associations between feeding methods and trajectories of the outcomes. Results: For all feeding practices, increasing duration (in months) was unassociated with the risk of ever having excess weight by age 6 years. Based on mixed models, longer duration of feeding human milk by any method was associated with lower BMIZ (adj β for 6-12 months versus 0-3 months = -0.50, 95% CI: -0.99 to -0.01) and also with the shape of the BMIZ trajectory curve. No other associations between feeding methods and excess weight outcomes were observed. Conclusions: Longer duration of feeding human milk was associated with lower average BMIZ in early childhood but feeding at the breast and feeding expressed milk were not clearly associated with the outcomes when considered separately. Larger studies would help clarify the associations between these specific feeding methods and outcomes. IRB17-00876.

What Links Maternal Prepregnancy BMI to Early Childhood BMI: A Serial Mediation Analysis

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to explore the potential impact of maternal gestational weight gain (GWG), infant birth weight, and postnatal weight change (ΔWAZ) on the relationship between maternal prepregnancy BMI (ppBMI) and childhood BMI.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study analyzed a data set from Wuhan, China. The mediation effect of targeted mediators on the association between maternal BMI and childhood BMI at the age of 2 years was analyzed.

RESULTS

In the mediation model comprising maternal GWG, infant birth weight, and the first-6-month ΔWAZ as mediators of the association between ppBMI and children's BMI, the per unit increase in ppBMI resulted in a 0.01-kg/m² increase in children's BMI, through all three mediators. For the model comprising infant birth weight and the first-6-month ΔWAZ as mediators but maternal GWG as a moderator, the indirect effects of the first-6-month ΔWAZ on the relationship between ppBMI and childhood BMI was 0.0018 higher when maternal GWG increased from average values to 1 SD above the average values.

CONCLUSIONS

Maternal GWG, infant birth weight, and the first-6-month ΔWAZ mediated the effects of maternal ppBMI on children's BMI. Interventions targeting these factors can mitigate the risk of childhood obesity.

Genetic Interactions with Intrauterine Diabetes Exposure in Relation to Obesity: The EPOCH and Project Viva Studies

To examine whether BMI-associated genetic risk variants modify the association of intrauterine diabetes exposure with childhood BMI z-scores, we assessed the interaction between 95 BMI-associated genetic variants and in utero exposure to maternal diabetes among 459 children in the Exploring Perinatal Outcomes among Children historical prospective cohort study (n = 86 exposed; 373 unexposed) in relation to age- and sex-standardized childhood BMI z-scores (mean age = 10.3 years, standard deviation = 1.5 years). For the genetic variants showing a nominally significant interaction, we assessed the relationship in an additional 621 children in Project Viva, which is an independent longitudinal cohort study, and used meta-analysis to combine the results for the two studies. Seven of the ninety-five genetic variants tested exhibited a nominally significant interaction with in utero exposure to maternal diabetes in relation to the offspring BMI z-score in EPOCH. Five of the seven variants exhibited a consistent direction of interaction effect across both EPOCH and Project Viva. While none achieved statistical significance in the meta-analysis after accounting for multiple testing, three variants exhibited a nominally significant interaction with in utero exposure to maternal diabetes in relation to offspring BMI z-score: rs10733682 near LMX1B (interaction β = 0.39; standard error (SE) = 0.17), rs17001654 near SCARB2 (β = 0.53; SE = 0.22), and rs16951275 near MAP2K5 (β = 0.37; SE = 0.17). BMI-associated genetic variants may enhance the association between exposure to in utero diabetes and higher childhood BMI, but larger studies of in utero exposures are necessary to confirm the observed nominally significant relationships.

Sources of nutrition information for Indonesian women during pregnancy: how is information sought and provided?

OBJECTIVE

Adequate and appropriate nutrition education is expected to contribute towards preventing risk of child stunting and maternal overweight/obesity. Understanding women's information-seeking behaviours is an important key step for health professionals and departments of health in order to improve the development of optimal and targeted nutrition education during pregnancy. This study investigated the experience of Indonesian women in seeking and receiving nutritional information during pregnancy and its relationship to women's socio-demographic and pregnancy characteristics.

DESIGN

An online cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Malang City, Indonesia.

PARTICIPANTS

Women who had given birth within the past 2 years (n 335).

RESULTS

All women in this study sought or received food and nutrition information from multiple sources, including social and health professional contacts and media sources. The women frequently discussed nutrition issues with their family, particularly their husband (98·2 %) and mother or mother-in-law (91·6 %). This study identified four groups of sources based on women's search habits. Women from high socio-economic strata were more likely to discuss food and nutrition issues or received nutrition information from obstetricians, their family or online sources (adjusted R2 = 26·3 %). Women from low socio-economic strata were more likely to receive nutrition information from midwives, health volunteers or Maternal and Child Health books (adjusted R2 = 14·5 %).

CONCLUSIONS

A variety of nutrition information sources needs to be provided for women from different socio-economic strata. Involvement of family members in antenatal nutrition education may improve the communication and effectiveness of young mothers' dietary and nutrition education.

The association between fetal growth and neonatal adiposity in urban South African infants

OBJECTIVE

To examine associations between maternal body mass index (BMI), gestational weight gain (GWG) and fetal growth and neonatal adiposity in urban South Africans.

METHODS

Maternal BMI was assessed at recruitment and GWG (kg/week) was calculated. Longitudinal fetal growth was measured via ultrasound and modelled using Superimposition by Translation and Rotation (SITAR). Neonatal adiposity was assessed using air displacement plethysmography or dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Multiple linear regression models were used to examine associations between maternal BMI, GWG and SITAR fetal growth parameters and neonatal fat mass index (FMI; kg/m³ ) in 304 mother-neonate pairs.

RESULTS

In pooled analyses, longitudinally modelled abdominal circumference size (β = 0.64 kg/m³ , P < .001) and velocity (β = 8.39 kg/m³ , P < .001) and biparietal diameter velocity (β = 4.55 kg/m³ , P = .020) were positively associated with neonatal FMI. GWG was positively associated with neonatal FMI in preliminary models (β = 1.07 kg/m³ per 1 kg/week; P = .040), with pooled models indicating mediation via fetal growth.

CONCLUSION

In utero abdominal growth is predictive of neonatal adiposity. Additionally, greater fetal growth - particularly of the abdominal circumference - mediates the effect of GWG on neonatal adiposity. In settings such as South Africa, strategies to ensure healthy pregnancy weight gain can contribute to prevention of intergenerational obesity risk.

Recruitment planning for clinical trials with a vulnerable perinatal adolescent population using the Clinical Trials Transformative Initiative framework and principles of partner and community engagement

Recruitment planning is needed to establish a foundation for obesity prevention research with high risk, disadvantaged perinatal adolescent populations. In the context of developing clinical trial protocols, investigators partnered with Mississippi's Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and adopted the Clinical Trials Transformative Initiative (CTTI) framework for recruitment planning to identify and mitigate challenges to recruitment early in the clinical trial development process. The recruitment protocol consisted of 20 passive strategies grounded in principles of partner and community engagement and was flexible, accommodating, altruistic, community-focused, and minimally burdensome to partners and participants. The recruitment goal included 150 adolescent-coparticipant dyads and 145 dyads (96.7%) were successfully recruited. Investigators demonstrated the feasibility of recruiting a disadvantaged and vulnerable perinatal adolescent population that is underrepresented in health research, in one of the most persistently impoverished and poor health regions in the U.S. Four important aspects of recruitment planning using the CTTI framework are discussed including: (1) establishing partnerships with trusted community resources is a paramount investment; (2) dedicating time and resources to know and go to your community is invaluable; (3) fostering trust by offering convenient, continuous and clear communication; and (4) encouraging collaboration and participation through limiting partner and participant burden. Establishing organizational and community partnership requires a substantial amount of invaluable time and fosters recruitment success. Following the CTTI recommendations for recruitment planning led to a robust recruitment protocol that will be used in future intervention trials with an understudied perinatal adolescent population with high risk for poor maternal and fetal health outcomes.

Experiences, Attitudes, and Needs of Users of a Pregnancy and Parenting App (Baby Buddy) During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Mixed Methods Study

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the lives of expectant parents and parents of young babies, with disruptions in health care provision and loss of social support.

OBJECTIVE

This study investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated lockdown on this population through the lens of users of the UK National Health Service-approved pregnancy and parenting smartphone app, Baby Buddy. The study aims were threefold: to gain insights into the attitudes and experiences of expectant and recent parents (with babies under 24 weeks of age) during the COVID-19 pandemic; to investigate whether Baby Buddy is meeting users' needs during this time; and to identify ways to revise the content of Baby Buddy to better support its users now and in future.

METHODS

A mixed methods study design combining a web-based survey with semistructured telephone interviews among Baby Buddy users in the United Kingdom was applied. Data were collected from April 15 to mid-June 2020, corresponding to weeks 4-13 of the lockdown in the United Kingdom.

RESULTS

A total of 436 expectant (n=244, 56.0%) and recent (n=192, 44.0%) parents responded to the web-based survey, of which 79.1% (n=345) were aged 25-39 years and 17.2% (n=75) spoke English as their second language. Of the 436 respondents, 88.5% (386/436) reported increased levels of anxiety around pregnancy, birth, and being a new parent, and 58.0% (253/436) were concerned about their emotional and mental health. Of the 244 pregnant respondents, 43.4% (n=106) were concerned about their physical health. Telephone interviews with 13 pregnant women and 19 recent parents revealed similarly increased levels of anxiety due to reduced health care provision and loss of support from friends and family. Although a minority of respondents identified some positive outcomes of lockdown, such as family bonding, many telephone interviewees reported feeling isolated, disregarded, and overwhelmed. Recent parents were particularly anxious about the impact of the lockdown on their baby's development and socialization. Many interviewees were also concerned about their physical health as a consequence of both limited access to face-to-face medical appointments and their own poorer dietary and physical activity behaviors. Across both samples, 97.0% (423/436) of respondents reported that Baby Buddy was currently helping them, with many commenting that its role was even more important given the lack of face-to-face support from health care and parenting organizations. Greater speed in updating digital content to reflect changes due to the pandemic was suggested.

CONCLUSIONS

The COVID-19 pandemic has created heightened anxiety and stress among expectant parents and those with a young baby, and for many, lockdown has had an adverse impact on their physical and mental well-being. With reductions in health care and social support, expectant and new parents are increasingly relying on web-based resources. As a free, evidence-based app, Baby Buddy is well positioned to meet this need. The app could support its users even more by actively directing them to the wealth of existing content relevant to their concerns and by adding content to give users the knowledge and confidence to meet new challenges.

Impact of preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum culinary nutrition education interventions: a systematic review

CONTEXT

Frequent consumption of home-prepared meals is associated with higher diet quality in children and adults. Therefore, increasing the culinary skills of women and couples during their childbearing years may be an effective strategy for the prevention of overweight and obesity.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the impact of culinary nutrition-education interventions for women with or without their partners during preconception, pregnancy, or postpartum (PPP) on parental cooking skills, nutrition knowledge, parent/child diet quality, or health outcomes.

DATA SOURCES

Eligibility criteria were defined using a PICOS framework. A systematic search strategy was developed to identify eligible studies and was implemented in 11 electronic databases. Reference lists of selected systematic reviews were manually searched for additional studies.

DATA EXTRACTION

Study characteristics and outcomes were extracted from eligible studies by 1 reviewer and checked by a second reviewer.

DATA ANALYSIS

A narrative synthesis of the findings of eligible studies was prepared including descriptive statistics. Reporting was guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement and Synthesis Without Meta-Analysis in systematic reviews reporting guideline.

RESULTS

A total of 6951 articles were identified from the search strategy and 31 studies during pregnancy or postpartum were included. By category, the number of studies with a favorable outcome per total number of studies measuring outcome were as follows: parental food/cooking skills (n = 5 of 5), nutrition knowledge (n = 6 of 11), parent/child diet quality (n = 10 of 19), infant feeding (n = 6 of 11), eating behavior (n = 2 of 5), maternal (n = 2 of 5) and child anthropometry (n = 6 of 10), mental health and development n = (2 of 3), and clinical indictors (n = 1 of 1).

CONCLUSIONS

Culinary nutrition-education interventions during pregnancy and the postpartum period show promise in improving cooking skills, diet quality, and a variety of health-related outcomes. The precise effect of these interventions during PPP is limited by the quality and heterogeneity of study designs to date.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

PROSPERO registration number: CRD42020154966.

Change in modifiable maternal characteristics and behaviours between consecutive pregnancies and offspring adiposity: A systematic review

Causal evidence links modifiable maternal exposures during the periconceptional period with offspring obesity. The interconception period may be an important time to intervene. We systematically identified studies examining change in modifiable maternal exposures between pregnancies and offspring adiposity. We searched for longitudinal studies published between 1990 and 2019, which included measurements taken on at least two occasions in the period from 1 year prior to the conception of the first birth to the time of the second birth, and which included a measure of adiposity in second, or higher order, siblings. Age, ethnicity and genetics were not considered modifiable; all other factors including length of the interpregnancy interval were. Eleven studies satisfied the inclusion criteria. Higher interpregnancy weight gain or loss, maternal smoking inception, mothers smoking in their first pregnancy and quitting, increasing the number of cigarettes smoked and longer interpregnancy intervals were positively associated with adiposity in second or higher order children. Vaginal birth after caesarean delivery was protective. Further research is needed to ascertain whether the risk of adiposity is fixed based on first pregnancy exposures or if interpregnancy change alters the risk for a subsequent child. This can inform the type and effectiveness of interventions for mothers prior to a subsequent pregnancy.

Barriers to and facilitators for addressing overweight and obesity before conception: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Obesity is a significant global health issue, especially for reproductive-aged women. Women who enter pregnancy overweight or obese are at increased risk of a range of adverse reproductive, maternal, and child health outcomes. The preconception period has been recognised as a critical time to intervene to improve health outcomes for women and their children. Despite this recognition, adequate information is significantly lacking in relation to women's health experiences, behaviours, and information preferences to inform the development of high-quality preconception intervention strategies.

AIM

This study aimed to examine women's perspectives of barriers, enablers, and strategies for addressing overweight and obesity before conception.

METHOD

Using a qualitative research design, twelve multiparous women, aged between 32 and 43 years, who considered themselves to be overweight or obese were interviewed. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.

FINDINGS

Three themes were identified in relation to barriers: lack of information and knowledge, time constraints, and affordability. The following four themes emerged with respect to enablers and strategies: knowledge provision, accountability and motivation, regular contact, and habit formation.

CONCLUSION

Key factors to incorporate in women-centred interventions for preconception weight loss include multi-faceted knowledge provision and practical affordable methods for supporting healthy behaviours. Interventions should integrate techniques for ensuring regular contact with support networks, to enhance accountability, motivation, and facilitate habit formation. Further research is now being conducted by our team to co-design interventions and strategies informed by these findings.

Perinatal exposure to maternal obesity: Lasting cardiometabolic impact on offspring

Evidence from epidemiological, clinical, and animal model studies clearly demonstrates that prenatal and lactational maternal obesity and high-fat diet consumption are associated with cardiometabolic morbidity in offspring. Fetal and offspring sex may be an important effect modifier. Adverse offspring cardiometabolic outcomes observed in the setting of maternal obesity include an increased risk for obesity, features of metabolic syndrome (hypertension, hyperglycemia and insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia, increased adiposity), and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. This review article synthesizes human and animal data linking maternal obesity and high-fat diet consumption in pregnancy and lactation to adverse cardiometabolic outcomes in offspring. We review key mechanisms underlying skeletal muscle, adipose tissue, pancreatic, liver, and central brain reward programming in obesity-exposed offspring, and how such malprogramming contributes to offspring cardiometabolic morbidity.

Exclusively Digital Health Interventions Targeting Diet, Physical Activity, and Weight Gain in Pregnant Women: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Interventions to promote a healthy diet, physical activity, and weight management during pregnancy are increasingly embracing digital technologies. Although some interventions have combined digital with interpersonal (face-to-face or telephone) delivery, others have relied exclusively on digital delivery. Exclusively digital interventions have the advantages of greater cost-effectiveness and broader reach and as such can be a valuable resource for health care providers.

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review aims to focus on exclusively digital interventions to determine their effectiveness, identify behavior change techniques (BCTs), and investigate user engagement.

METHODS

A total of 6 databases (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online [MEDLINE], Excerpta Medica dataBASE [EMBASE], PsycINFO, Cumulated Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature [CINAHL] Plus, Web of Science, and ProQuest) were searched for randomized controlled trials or pilot control trials of exclusively digital interventions to encourage healthy eating, physical activity, or appropriate weight gain during pregnancy. The outcome measures were gestational weight gain (GWG) and changes in physical activity and dietary behaviors. Study quality was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool 2.0. Where possible, pooled effect sizes were calculated using a random effects meta-analysis.

RESULTS

In total, 11 studies met the inclusion criteria. The risk of bias was mostly high (n=5) or moderate (n=3). Of the 11 studies, 6 reported on GWG as the primary outcome, 4 of which also measured changes in physical activity and dietary behaviors, and 5 studies focused either on dietary behaviors only (n=2) or physical activity only (n=3). The meta-analyses showed no significant benefit of interventions on total GWG for either intention-to-treat data (-0.28 kg; 95% CI -1.43 to 0.87) or per-protocol data (-0.65 kg; 95% CI -1.98 to 0.67). Substantial heterogeneity in outcome measures of change in dietary behaviors and physical activity precluded further meta-analyses. BCT coding identified 7 BCTs that were common to all effective interventions. Effective interventions averaged over twice as many BCTs from the goals and planning, and feedback and monitoring domains as ineffective interventions. Data from the 6 studies reporting on user engagement indicated a positive association between high engagement with key BCTs and greater intervention effectiveness. Interventions using proactive messaging and feedback appeared to have higher levels of engagement.

CONCLUSIONS

In contrast to interpersonal interventions, there is little evidence of the effectiveness of exclusively digital interventions to encourage a healthy diet, physical activity, or weight management during pregnancy. In this review, effective interventions used proactive messaging, such as reminders to engage in BCTs, feedback on progress, or tips, suggesting that interactivity may drive engagement and lead to greater effectiveness. Given the benefits of cost and reach of digital interventions, further research is needed to understand how to use advancing technologies to enhance user engagement and improve effectiveness.

Predicting the risk of childhood overweight and obesity at 4-5 years using population-level pregnancy and early-life healthcare data

BACKGROUND

Nearly a third of children in the UK are overweight, with the prevalence in the most deprived areas more than twice that in the least deprived. The aim was to develop a risk identification model for childhood overweight/obesity applied during pregnancy and early life using routinely collected population-level healthcare data.

METHODS

A population-based anonymised linked cohort of maternal antenatal records (January 2003 to September 2013) and birth/early-life data for their children with linked body mass index (BMI) measurements at 4-5 years (n = 29,060 children) in Hampshire, UK was used. Childhood age- and sex-adjusted BMI at 4-5 years, measured between September 2007 and November 2018, using a clinical cut-off of ≥ 91st centile for overweight/obesity. Logistic regression models together with multivariable fractional polynomials were used to select model predictors and to identify transformations of continuous predictors that best predict the outcome.

RESULTS

Fifteen percent of children had a BMI ≥ 91st centile. Models were developed in stages, incorporating data collected at first antenatal booking appointment, later pregnancy/birth, and early-life predictors (1 and 2 years). The area under the curve (AUC) was lowest (0.64) for the model only incorporating maternal predictors from early pregnancy and highest for the model incorporating all factors up to weight at 2 years for predicting outcome at 4-5 years (0.83). The models were well calibrated. The prediction models identify 21% (at booking) to 24% (at ~ 2 years) of children as being at high risk of overweight or obese by the age of 4-5 years (as defined by a ≥ 20% risk score). Early pregnancy predictors included maternal BMI, smoking status, maternal age, and ethnicity. Early-life predictors included birthweight, baby's sex, and weight at 1 or 2 years of age.

CONCLUSIONS

Although predictive ability was lower for the early pregnancy models, maternal predictors remained consistent across the models; thus, high-risk groups could be identified at an early stage with more precise estimation as the child grows. A tool based on these models can be used to quantify clustering of risk for childhood obesity as early as the first trimester of pregnancy, and can strengthen the long-term preventive element of antenatal and early years care.

Spotlight on the fetus: how physical activity during pregnancy influences fetal health: a narrative review

Before and during pregnancy, women often aim to improve their lifestyle so as to provide a healthier environment for their developing child. It remains unresolved, however, as to whether physical activity (PA) during pregnancy poses a possible risk or whether it might even have beneficial effects on the developing child. There is increasing evidence that PA during pregnancy is indeed beneficial to maternal physiological and psychological health and that it is generally not detrimental to the fetal cardiovascular system and neuronal function in the developing child. This also led to international recommendations for PAs during pregnancy. In the current review, we aimed to comprehensively assess the evidence of beneficial and harmful effects of maternal PA, including high-performance sports, on fetal development. The different mental and body-based relaxation techniques presented here are frequently performed during pregnancy. We found a considerable number of studies addressing these issues. In general, neither low key, moderate maternal PA nor relaxation techniques were observed to have a harmful effect on the developing child. However, we identified some forms of PA which could have at least a transient unfavourable effect. Notably, the literature currently available does not provide enough evidence to enable us to make a general conclusive statement on this subject. This is due to the lack of longitudinal studies on the metabolic and cognitive effects of regular PA during pregnancy and the wide diversity of methods used. In particular, the kind of PA investigated in each study differed from study to study.