Impact of maternal factors on childhood obesity

Rym Ben Othman; Abadlia Salma; Mizouri Ramla; Berriche Olfa; Talbi Emna; Ghamgui Wissal; Jamoussi Henda

doi:10.1530/endoabs.99.EP658

EP658

Prev Next

Section Contents Cite

Endocrine Abstracts (2024) 99 EP658 | DOI: 10.1530/endoabs.99.EP658

ECE2024 Eposter Presentations Diabetes, Obesity, Metabolism and Nutrition (383 abstracts)

Impact of maternal factors on childhood obesity

Ben Othman Rym ¹ , Abadlia Salma ² , Mizouri Ramla ¹ , Berriche Olfa ¹ , Talbi Emna ¹ , Ghamgui Wissal ³ & Jamoussi Henda ¹

Views

Author affiliations

¹National Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology, Nutrition A, tunis; ²Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia; ³National Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology, Outpatient department, tunis

Introduction: Childhood obesity is influenced by various factors. Maternal health plays a crucial role in this public concern. We carried out our study aiming to uncover key insights into this relationship.

Methods: It was comparative study in the outpatient department of Bechir-Hamza Children’s Hospital of Tunis, Tunisia, from December 26, 2022 to February 1, 2023. The study included 50 obese children (G1) and 35 normal-weight children (G2) aged between 6 and 13 years old. World Health Organization growth charts sex-specific Body Mass Index (BMI) for age were used to define obesity.

Results: The average age of participants was 8.9±3 years for G1 and 8.03±3 for G2 (P=0.22). The majority of G1 were females (64%). Maternal pre-pregnancy BMI of G1 was significantly higher than that of G2 (29.9±5 kg vs 27.4±4, P=0.02). Pregnancy was complicated by gestational diabetes in 32% of cases for G1 vs 11.4% for G2 (P<0.01). In addition, average maternal weight gain during pregnancy was significantly greater for G1 (15.6 ±8 kg vs 8.13±3 k g, P<0.01). Moreover, macrosomic infants were more likely to develop childhood obesity (46% of G1 were born macrosomic vs 14.3%, P<0.001). We also noticed that G1 exhibited lower rates of breastfeeding compared to G2 (80% vs 94.3%, P=0.04). It’s interesting to also note that the average duration of breastfeeding was shorter for G1 (6.2 months vs 9.9 months, P=0.04).

Conclusion: These findings highlight the significant link between maternal health and childhood obesity, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions.