Is being childless associated with a woman’s risk of overweight and obesity? Results from a national longitudinal study
Authors' conclusion
Around one in nine Australian women remained voluntarily childless by their late reproductive years. On average, they had higher odds of being overweight and obese than mothers, suggesting that overweight and obesity prevention programs should consider tailoring their advice by motherhood status.
Study context
- Population
- Women aged 18–23 years followed from 1996 to 2018; motherhood status from reports on fertility, attempts to conceive, IVF and fertility hormone use, and number of biological children
- Participants
- 4,092 women
- Exposure
- Voluntarily childless and involuntarily childless women vs mothers
- Outcome
- Overweight and obesity
- Follow-up
- Over 22 years
Methodological detailsnational longitudinal study, generalised estimating equations models, adjusted for socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, depressive symptoms, early life factors and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
- National longitudinal study
- Generalised estimating equations models
- Adjusted for socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, depressive symptoms, early life factors and PCOS
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Each group vs mothersOdds ratio (95% CI)
Voluntarily childlessoverweight
1.29(1.09–1.52)
Voluntarily childlessobese
1.65(1.29–2.12)
Involuntarily childlessoverweight; not associated
1.05(0.82–1.33)
Involuntarily childlessobesity; attenuated after adjusting for PCOS in the final model
1.40(0.99–1.98)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | Voluntarily childless | Involuntarily childless |
|---|---|---|
| Motherhood status at age 40-45 years | 12% | 5% |
Original publication
Is being childless associated with a woman’s risk of overweight and obesity? Results from a national longitudinal study. Int J Obes (Lond). Published 27 June 2023. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →