Department of Global Health Promotion, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo, 113-8519, Japan.
Department of Health Policy, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan.
Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2024 Mar;33(3):861-869. doi: 10.1007/s00787-023-02209-5. Epub 2023 Apr 23.
The association between maternal pre-pregnancy obesity and child behavior problems has been widely researched, leaving a gap in understanding the positive aspects of children's mental health. The present study aimed to investigate the association between maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and resilience and prosociality among 6-7 year-old children in Japan. A retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from the Adachi Child Health Impact of Living Difficulty (A-CHILD) study, a population-based study in 2017 and 2019 including all first-grade students in public schools in Adachi, Tokyo, Japan (n = 7328, response rate = 84.7%). Resilience and prosociality were measured by the Children's Resilient Coping Scale and the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire, respectively. Maternal pre-pregnancy weight and height were reported based on the Mother and Child Health Handbook, and BMI was categorized as underweight (BMI < 18.5), normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.9), overweight (BMI 25.0-29.9), and obesity (BMI ≥ 30). Linear regression models were employed to control for covariates. Maternal pre-pregnancy obesity was found to be negatively associated with child resilience (coefficient: - 3.29; 95% CI - 6.42--0.15), while maternal underweight was negatively associated with child prosociality (coefficient: - 0.12; 95% CI - 0.24--0.005) compared to mothers of pre-pregnancy normal BMI. Perinatal factors, such as gestational weight gain, gestational age, and birth weight, did not mediate the association. Our findings suggest that maternal pre-pregnancy obesity is linked to decreased resilience and maternal underweight is linked to decreased prosociality in children aged 6-7 years. Maintaining an appropriate BMI range before pregnancy may be crucial for enhancing resilience and prosociality of offspring.
母亲孕前肥胖与儿童行为问题之间的关系已得到广泛研究，而对儿童心理健康的积极方面的理解仍存在空白。本研究旨在探讨日本 6-7 岁儿童中母亲孕前体重指数（BMI）与韧性和亲社会行为之间的关系。本研究使用 2017 年和 2019 年在东京足立区进行的基于人群的足立儿童生活困难对健康影响（A-CHILD）研究的数据进行了回顾性队列研究，该研究包括日本足立区所有公立学校的一年级学生（n=7328，应答率=84.7%）。韧性和亲社会行为分别通过儿童弹性应对量表和困难与力量问卷进行测量。母亲孕前体重和身高根据母子健康手册报告，BMI 分为消瘦（BMI<18.5）、正常体重（BMI 18.5-24.9）、超重（BMI 25.0-29.9）和肥胖（BMI≥30）。采用线性回归模型控制协变量。与孕前 BMI 正常的母亲相比，母亲孕前肥胖与儿童韧性呈负相关（系数：-3.29；95%CI -6.42--0.15），而母亲消瘦与儿童亲社会行为呈负相关（系数：-0.12；95%CI -0.24--0.005）。围产期因素，如孕期体重增加、胎龄和出生体重，并不介导这种关联。我们的研究结果表明，母亲孕前肥胖与儿童韧性下降有关，而母亲消瘦与儿童亲社会行为下降有关。在怀孕前保持适当的 BMI 范围可能对增强后代的韧性和亲社会行为至关重要。
