Girod Savannah A, Buehler Cheryl, Bailes Lauren G, Leerkes Esther M, Wideman Laurie, Shriver Lenka H
University of North Carolina at Greensboro, PO Box 26170, 27402, Greensboro, NC, USA.
Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Place #5721, 37203, Nashville, TN, USA.
Matern Child Health J. 2023 Apr;27(4):641-649. doi: 10.1007/s10995-023-03613-8. Epub 2023 Feb 18.
Obesity and excessive weight gain during pregnancy have lasting implications for both women and infant health. Adverse childhood experiences and stressful life events have been associated with pre-pregnancy obesity and excessive gestational weight gain. However, the effect of each has been examined independently and scant work has investigated the effects of both in the same analysis. The current study examined the unique and conjoint effects of adverse childhood experiences and recent stressful life events on women's pre-pregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain.
A racially and socioeconomically diverse sample of 176 pregnant women completed questionnaires and anthropometric measurements during the third trimester and two months postpartum.
Maternal adverse childhood experiences were uniquely associated with pre-pregnancy BMI (β = 0.21, p = .02), but not gestational weight gain. Recent stressful life events did not uniquely predict pre-pregnancy BMI or gestational weight gain, nor did it explain the association between adverse childhood experiences and pre-pregnancy BMI. Adverse childhood experiences and recent stressful life events did not interact to predict either of the women's weight outcomes.
Adverse childhood experiences have lasting unique effects on women's pre-pregnancy BMI. Obesity is related to several perinatal health issues for the mother and child, thus understanding the effects of childhood adversity on women's weight outcomes is critical. Routine screening for ACEs among women of childbearing age and pregnant women, paired with referrals and educational resources, can mitigate the deleterious effects of childhood adversity on women and infant health.
孕期肥胖和体重过度增加对女性和婴儿的健康都有持久影响。儿童期不良经历和生活压力事件与孕前肥胖及孕期体重过度增加有关。然而，以往对二者的影响是分别进行研究的，很少有研究在同一分析中考察它们的共同作用。本研究探讨了儿童期不良经历和近期生活压力事件对女性孕前体重指数（BMI）和孕期体重增加的独特及共同影响。
选取176名种族和社会经济背景各异的孕妇作为样本，在孕晚期及产后两个月完成问卷调查和人体测量。
母亲的儿童期不良经历与孕前BMI存在独特关联（β = 0.21，p = 0.02），但与孕期体重增加无关。近期生活压力事件既不能单独预测孕前BMI或孕期体重增加，也不能解释儿童期不良经历与孕前BMI之间的关联。儿童期不良经历和近期生活压力事件之间不存在交互作用来预测女性的任何一项体重指标。
儿童期不良经历对女性孕前BMI有持久的独特影响。肥胖与母婴的若干围产期健康问题相关，因此了解儿童期逆境对女性体重指标的影响至关重要。对育龄女性和孕妇进行儿童期不良经历的常规筛查，并提供转诊和教育资源，可以减轻儿童期逆境对女性和婴儿健康的有害影响。
