Association Between Parental Social Position and Childhood Overweight: Mediation by Lifestyle and BMI Patterns During Pregnancy
Authors' conclusion
Parental lifestyle and BMI patterns during pregnancy seem key contributors to the early development of socio-economic inequalities in childhood overweight, while other yet unidentified factors may contribute to inequalities related to geographic origin.
Study context
- Population
- Children aged 5–6 years with or without overweight, French ELFE and Dutch Generation R birth cohorts
- Participants
- 8,584 vs 6,511
- Exposure
- Parental socio-economic position (SEP) (education level) and geographic origin, mediated by parental lifestyle and BMI patterns during pregnancy
- ELFEn = 8,584
- Generation Rn = 6,511
- Outcome
- Proportion of the association between parental SEP/geographic origin and childhood overweight mediated by lifestyle patterns: "high parental smoking, poor-quality maternal diet and sedentary behaviour" and "high parental BMI and low gestational weight gain"
- Follow-up
- 5-6 years
Methodological detailscounterfactual mediation analysis, French ELFE and Dutch Generation R birth cohorts
- Counterfactual mediation analysis
- French ELFE and Dutch Generation R birth cohorts
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Proportion mediated jointly by both patterns
Parents' education level–childhood overweight association mediated, ELFE
62.8%
Parents' education level–childhood overweight association mediated, Generation R
23.2%
Parents' geographic origin–childhood overweight association mediated, Generation R
8.9%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Association Between Parental Social Position and Childhood Overweight: Mediation by Lifestyle and BMI Patterns During Pregnancy. Pediatr Obes. Published 5 August 2025. doi:10.
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