Association of maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index and gestational weight gain with Chinese infant growth.

AIM

To evaluate the association of maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) with offspring growth from birth to 12 months in China.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort of 3764 mother-child dyads, with children born between June 2014 and June 2016, was identified in an electronic medical record database. Maternal pre-pregnancy body weight and height measurements throughout pregnancy were extracted, and body weights and lengths of their children had been measured at birth, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. The association between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and GWG and offspring growth was evaluated using repeated-measure general linear models and post hoc tests.

RESULTS

Both pre-pregnancy BMI and GWG were significantly associated with the Z-scores for weight and for length during the first year of age. Moreover, their interactions were associated with a greater risk of overweight/obesity of offspring in early infancy after controlling for potential confounding factors. Defined by the Institute of Medicine guidelines, excessive GWG, especially during the first trimester, was associated with an increased risk of offspring overweight or obesity at 12 months old in all maternal pre-pregnancy BMI categories.

CONCLUSION

Maintenance of appropriate body weight before and during pregnancy, especially during the first trimester, is crucial to prevent paediatric obesity.