Influence of maternal adiposity, preterm birth and birth weight centiles on early childhood obesity in an Indigenous Australian pregnancy-through-to-early-childhood cohort study

Abstract

Childhood obesity rates are higher among Indigenous compared with non-Indigenous Australian children. It has been hypothesized that early-life influences beginning with the intrauterine environment predict the development of obesity in the offspring. The aim of this paper was to assess, in 227 mother-child dyads from the Gomeroi gaaynggal cohort, associations between prematurity, Gestation Related-Optimal Weight (GROW) centiles, maternal adiposity (percentage body fat, visceral fat area), maternal non-fasting plasma glucose levels (measured at mean gestational age of 23.1 weeks) and offspring BMI and adiposity (abdominal circumference, subscapular skinfold thickness) in early childhood (mean age 23.4 months). Maternal non-fasting plasma glucose concentrations were positively associated with infant birth weight (P=0.005) and GROW customized birth weight centiles (P=0.008). There was a significant association between maternal percentage body fat (P=0.02) and visceral fat area (P=0.00) with infant body weight in early childhood. Body mass index (BMI) in early childhood was significantly higher in offspring born preterm compared with those born at term (P=0.03). GROW customized birth weight centiles was significantly associated with body weight (P=0.01), BMI (P=0.007) and abdominal circumference (P=0.039) at early childhood. Our findings suggest that being born preterm, large for gestational age or exposed to an obesogenic intrauterine environment and higher maternal non-fasting plasma glucose concentrations are associated with increased obesity risk in early childhood. Future strategies should aim to reduce the prevalence of overweight/obesity in women of child-bearing age and emphasize the importance of optimal glycemia during pregnancy, particularly in Indigenous women.

Programming of Renal Development and Chronic Disease in Adult Life

“… Pringle et al (2018) have shown that urinary protein/creatinine ratios were higher in Indigenous pregnant women than in non-Indigenous pregnant women, all of whom had uncomplicated pregnancy outcomes ( Pringle et al, 2018 ). Indigenous Australians also have a high prevalence of small for gestational age babies and premature birth ( Gingery et al, 2009 ) and an increased incidence of obesity and diabetes mellitus ( Pringle et al, 2019 ). Kandasamy et al (2014) found that Indigenous Australian infants had smaller kidney volumes than non-Indigenous infants.…”

Epigenetic signatures associated with maternal body mass index or gestational weight gain: a systematic review

“…8 Intrauterine exposure to high maternal adiposity or high gestational weight gain (GWG) is associated with adverse fetal development and may influence the offspring's health later in life, according to the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) hypothesis. [10][11][12][13] However, whether the observed effects are due to intrauterine effects directly following mother's overweight or explained by shared environmental or genetic factors is under debate. 14 Environmental factors may translate into epigenetic modifications that can alter gene expression without changing the DNA-sequence, such as DNA methylation, histone modification or micro-RNAs (miRNAs).…”

Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) Exposure in Early Life Increases Risk of Childhood Adiposity: A Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies

“…The prevalence of obesity has increased worldwide over the past four decades, and is now a global health issue, with over 340 million children and adolescents aged 5–19 being overweight or obese in 2016 [ 1 ]. Overweight or obesity in children is more likely to persist into adulthood and further increases the likelihood of many health problems in later life, including obesity, cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease [ 2 , 3 ]. Although obesity is known to be caused mainly by energy imbalance, growing evidence has suggested that exposure to other risk factors such as endocrine-disrupting chemicals may also play a role [ 4 ].…”