Child academic achievement in association with pre-pregnancy obesity and gestational weight gain.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Recent data suggest that children of mothers who are obese before pregnancy, or who gain too much weight during pregnancy, may be at an increased risk of cognitive impairments. METHODS:Mother-infant dyads enrolled in a birth cohort study in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1983-1986), were followed from early pregnancy to 14?years postpartum (n=574). Math, reading and spelling achievements were assessed at ages 6 and 10?years using the Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised, and at age 14?years using the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test Screener. Self-reported total GWG was converted to gestational age-standardised z-scores. Generalised estimating equations were used to estimate the effects of GWG and pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) on academic achievement at 6, 10 and 14?years, while adjusting for maternal race, child sex, parity, employment, family income, maternal intelligence, maternal depression, pre-pregnancy BMI (in GWG models only) and the home environment. RESULTS:The mean (SD) BMI was 23.4 (5.7) kg/m(2) and the mean (SD) GWG reported at delivery was 14.4 (5.9) kg. There was a significant non-linear association between pre-pregnancy BMI and an offspring's academic achievement. At 6, 10 and 14?years, an offspring's academic scores were inversely associated with pre-pregnancy BMI beyond 22?kg/m(2). High GWG (>1 SD) was associated with approximately 4-point lower reading (adjusted ? (adj?) -3.75, 95% CI -7.1 to -0.4) and spelling scores (adj? -3.90, 95% CI -7.8 to -0.2), compared with GWG -1 to +1 SD. CONCLUSIONS:Future studies in larger and socioeconomically diverse populations are needed to confirm maternal weight and weight gain as causal determinants of a child's academic skills, and whether this effect persists into adulthood.
SUBMITTER: Pugh SJ
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4865436 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
ACCESS DATA