Joint and Independent Associations of Gestational Diabetes and Depression With Childhood Obesity
Authors' conclusion
In this cohort study, both prenatal depression and gestational diabetes were associated with childhood obesity risk, with larger effect sizes observed for gestational diabetes. Children exposed to both conditions had the greatest risk, although associations appeared additive rather than synergistic. These findings underscore the need for universal prenatal screening and risk stratification, along with targeted interventions for children exposed to these conditions.
Study context
- Population
- Birthing parent-child pairs, births 2011–2021, Kaiser Permanente Northern California; children followed to age 10 years; mean (SD) parental age at delivery 30.8 (5.3) years; 104,214 male children (51.3%)
- Participants
- 203,333 parent-child pairs
- Exposure
- Prenatal depression and GDM, separately and jointly, vs neither exposure
- Outcome
- Childhood obesity: CDC BMI z score ≥95th percentile by child age
- Follow-up
- Ages 2.0–4.9, 5.0–7.9 and 8.0–10.0 years
Methodological detailsintegrated health care system, universal prenatal screening
- Integrated health care system
- Universal prenatal screening
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Childhood obesity rate by child age (whole cohort)
- Age 2.0 to 4.9 years
- 14.6% (29 198 of 199 329)
- Age 5.0 to 7.9 years
- 16.5% (19 155 of 116 398)
- Age 8.0 to 10.0 years
- 21.8% (9798 of 44 894)
Joint exposure, further adjusted for prepregnancy BMI
- Joint results attenuated; association for 5.0 to 7.9 years remained especially robust
Original publication
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