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Research Article: Maternal Pre-Pregnancy BMI and Gestational Weight Gain Are Associated with Preschool Children’s Neuropsychological Outcomes in the APrON Cohort

Date Published: 2023-11-25

Abstract:
This study examined the associations between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain (GWG) and children’s neuropsychological outcomes at 3 to 5 years of age. A total of 379 women and their children from the Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON) study participated. Covariate-adjusted robust regressions examined associations between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, GWG class, interaction terms, and child outcomes. Each unit increase in maternal BMI was linked to a 0.48-point decrement (95% CI: ?0.75 to ?0.21) in children’s Full Scale IQ. Higher pre-pregnancy BMI was related to poorer performance on the other intelligence indexes (B = ?0.35 to ?0.47, 95% CIs: ?0.75, ?0.02) and lower performance on measures of language (B = ?0.08 to ?0.09, 95% CIs: ?0.16, ?0.02), motor skills (B = ?0.08 to ?0.11, 95% CIs: ?0.18, ?0.01), and executive function (B = ?0.09 to ?0.16, 95% CIs: ?0.26, ?0.01). GWG below the recommended range was associated with a 4.04-point decrement (95% CI: 7.89, ?0.11) in Full Scale IQ, but better performance on a spatial working memory test (B = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.52). GWG above the recommended range was associated with lower language (B = ?0.79, 95% CI: ?1.52, ?0.06) and memory scores (B = ?0.93, 95% CI: ?1.64, ?0.22). Interactions were found between pre-pregnancy BMI and GWG on measures of intelligence and executive function. Maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and GWG are related to children’s performance in various neuropsychological domains and may interact to predict outcomes. Optimizing maternal health and weight prior to conception and during pregnancy may enhance children’s neuropsychological outcomes.

Introduction:
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that worldwide, 40% of women are overweight [1]. The 2018 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) reported that 43.6% of women aged 20 to 34 years were overweight or obese [2]. The U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) found that the rate of obesity among women 20 to 39 years of age was 39.7% [3]. Thus, many women are overweight or obese prior to pregnancy. Gestational weight gain (GWG) also warrants attention as global estimates indicate that…

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