Deborah Cowley, MD reviewing Mina TH et al. Psychol Med 2016 Oct 25.

Severe maternal obesity was associated with neuropsychiatric problems in 3- to 5-year-olds.

Evidence of a link between prenatal maternal obesity and adverse neuropsychiatric outcomes in children has been inconsistent, and previous researchers did not control for maternal anxiety and depression. This study from Scotland assessed neuropsychiatric outcomes in 112 three- to five-year-old children whose mothers had participated in a longitudinal study of obesity during pregnancy.

Of the mothers, 50 were very severely obese (BMI, ≥40 kg/m2) during pregnancy, and 62 were lean (BMI, 18–25 kg/m2). Mothers completed questionnaires about their child's neuropsychiatric symptoms and about their own levels of anxiety and depression. Results were adjusted for the child's sex, age, gestational age, birthweight, and socioeconomic status and for maternal age, parity, smoking status during pregnancy, gestational diabetes, and anxiety and depression scores.

Children with prenatal exposure to very severe maternal obesity had significantly higher scores on multiple questionnaires for hyperactivity, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms, conduct problems, externalizing behaviors, aggression, affective and anxiety symptoms, difficulty with peers, and sleep problems. Very severe prenatal maternal obesity remained robustly associated with childhood neuropsychiatric problems after analyses adjusted for demographic and pregnancy-related factors and for maternal anxiety and depression scores.

CITATION(S):

Mina TH et al. Prenatal exposure to very severe maternal obesity is associated with adverse neuropsychiatric outcomes in children. Psychol Med 2016 Oct 25; [e-pub]. 

JWatch