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Child obesity risk, child eating behavior and parental feeding practices show a graded association with individual level socioeconomic status. However, their associations with neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage are largely unknown. In this study (n = 682), we investigated how parental feeding practices and child eating behaviors were associated with body mass index and risk of overweight at preschool age in affluent and disadvantaged neighborhoods. We found that high food approach tendency in disadvantaged neighborhoods predicted higher body mass index and increased the risk of overweight at the age of 6 years compared with affluent neighborhoods. Our results suggest that children's eating habits may have stronger impact on overweight risk in disadvantaged than in affluent neighborhoods., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To assess the separate and combined associations of maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain with the risks of pregnancy complications and their population impact., Design: Individual participant data meta-analysis of 39 cohorts., Setting: Europe, North America, and Oceania., Population: 265 270 births., Methods: Information on maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, gestational weight gain, and pregnancy complications was obtained. Multilevel binary logistic regression models were used., Main Outcome Measures: Gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm birth, small and large for gestational age at birth., Results: Higher maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain were, across their full ranges, associated with higher risks of gestational hypertensive disorders, gestational diabetes, and large for gestational age at birth. Preterm birth risk was higher at lower and higher BMI and weight gain. Compared with normal weight mothers with medium gestational weight gain, obese mothers with high gestational weight gain had the highest risk of any pregnancy complication (odds ratio 2.51, 95% CI 2.31- 2.74). We estimated that 23.9% of any pregnancy complication was attributable to maternal overweight/obesity and 31.6% of large for gestational age infants was attributable to excessive gestational weight gain., Conclusions: Maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain are, across their full ranges, associated with risks of pregnancy complications. Obese mothers with high gestational weight gain are at the highest risk of pregnancy complications. Promoting a healthy pre-pregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain may reduce the burden of pregnancy complications and ultimately the risk of maternal and neonatal morbidity., Tweetable Abstract: Promoting a healthy body mass index and gestational weight gain might reduce the population burden of pregnancy complications., (© 2019 Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.)

Background: Genetic determinants have an impact on adult weight but the association between genetic determinants and weight at young age is still poorly understood., Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the association between genetic risk scores and early growth from birth to 2 years of age., Methods: Genetic risk scores of 83 adiposity-related or obesity-related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (genetic risk score [GRS]83) were calculated for 1278 children. Specific phenotype score for 16 weight-related SNPs (weightGRS) was calculated. Anthropometric data were obtained at birth, 13 months and 2 years of age., Results: The GRS83 was associated with weight at 13 months (β = 0.080, P = 0.015) and 2 years (β = 0.080, P = 0.017) of age and with weight gain from birth to 13 months (β = 0.069, P = 0.036) and to 2 years of age (β = 0.074, P = 0.028). At 2 years of age, the GRS83 was also associated with weight for height (β = 0.065, P = 0.046), weight-for-height standard deviation score (SDS) (β = 0.074, P = 0.022) and body mass index SDS (β = 0.068, P = 0.045). WeightGRS was associated with higher body weight at 13 months (β = 0.081, P = 0.014) and 2 years of age (β = 0.086, P = 0.011). The genetic effect on weight varied from 0.69 to 1.89 kg at 2 years of age according to number of risk alleles. Children with high genetic risk for adiposity were heavier than children with low genetic risk at 2 years of age (12.8 vs. 13.4 kg, P = 0.017)., Conclusion: The GRS 83 revealed increased genetic risk for higher weight in children already at 13 months and 2 years of age, which may result in increased obesity risk later in life., (© 2015 World Obesity Federation.)

The composition and structures of TAGs in the human milk from mothers with different food choices and prepregnancy body mass index were determined with two tandem mass spectrometric methods (negative APCI-MS/MS and positive UHPLC/ESI-MS/MS) at the infant's age of three months. The normal weight mothers with recommended food choices had more 18:3n-3 and less 18:0 in their milk than normal weight mothers with non-recommended food choices. A significant difference between the normal weight mothers on the non-recommended food choices and the other groups was seen in acyl carbon number: number of double bond (ACN:DB)-groups 54:6, 54:5, 54:3 and 54:2. In ACN:DB 52:7 and 52:6 the two recommended food choices-groups differed significantly from the two non-recommended food choices-groups. The regioisomerism of TAGs varied little despite differences in mother's weight and diet with sn-18:1-16:0-18:1 as the most prevalent regioisomer in the milk (13.8±2.7%). The results of this study highlight the importance of structure specific human milk substitutes and the careful selection of the MS/MS methods for analysis of mixtures of several isobaric TAGs., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: We examined how maternal overweight impacts full breastfeeding (BF), total duration of BF and the age of introduction of complementary foods (CFs) and whether these have effect on children's growth from 0 to 2 years., Subjects/methods: From 1797 families participating in the STEPS Study, 848 children had data on BF and anthropometric data at 13 months and 2 years of age and were included in this study. Data on BF and CFs were collected using a self-administered follow-up diary. Information regarding maternal weight, height, pregnancy and delivery were received from maternity clinics and the National Longitudinal Census Files. The children's weight and length/height were recorded during the study visits at 13 months and 2 years., Results: Overweight women breastfed fully (2.2 vs 2.8 months, P<0.0001) and totally (7.4 vs 9.0 months, P<0.0001) for a shorter time and introduced CFs earlier (4.1 vs 4.3 months, P=0.02) than normal weight women. Children of overweight women were heavier and had a higher body mass index at 2 years than children of normal weight women. At 2 years of age 30% of boys and 17% of girls were overweight or obese. However, children's obesity risk was not increased by maternal overweight (odds ratio (OR) 1.04, P=0.12). Longer duration of full BF (OR 0.86, P=0.04) and partial BF (OR 0.91, P=0.02) and delayed introduction of CFs (OR 0.69, P=0.03) were protective against obesity., Conclusions: Our study suggests that women who were overweight or obese before pregnancy breastfed for a shorter time and introduced CFs earlier than normal weight women, which may further impact children's growth.

Aims: To study whether maternal overweight and/or hyperglycemia combined with life-style factors in healthy women predisposes to adverse pregnancy or infant health outcomes, such as differences in growth., Methods: At 26-28 weeks of gestation 82 overweight pregnant women (prepregnancy BMI ≥ 25 kg/m(2)) and 67 normal weight pregnant women (prepregnancy BMI<25 kg/m(2)) participating to STEPS study attended 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) with measurement of plasma glucose and insulin and calculation of HOMA, QUICKI and Matsuda ISI indices. Birth weights and lengths were obtained from hospital records and weights and heights at 13 months from study visits. Maternal physical activity and diet quality were studied with questionnaires., Results: Glucose concentrations were higher in overweight non-diabetic women (0 h=4.9, 1h=7.7, 2h=6.2 mmol/l, n=80) than normal weight women (0 h=4.5, 1h=6.8, 2h=5.6 mmol/l, all P<0.05, n=66) as were insulin concentrations at baseline (12.3 vs. 9.0 mU/l, P<0.05), but not later (1h=88.1 vs. 72.8 mU/l; 2h=63.5 vs. 55.5 mU/l, both P>0.05). Insulin resistance was higher and sensitivity lower (P<0.05 for all) in overweight than in normal weight women. The offspring of overweight mothers were 273 g heavier at birth and 700 g heavier at 13 months of age than the offspring of normal weight women (P<0.001). Normal weight women had preferable diet quality (P=0.023). No differences were seen in self-reported physical activity between overweight and normal weight women., Conclusions: Maternal prepregnancy overweight increases risk of hyperglycemia in late-pregnancy and increased infant size at birth and 13 months possibly predisposing the infant to health risks later in life., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: We studied differences in breast milk fatty acid (FA) composition between overweight and normal weight women and the effect of FA composition on children's cholesterol concentrations at 13 months and growth from birth to 13 months., Methods: Samples were collected from lactating women (n = 100) participating in STEPS study at infant's age of 3 months, and FA composition was analyzed with gas chromatography. Diet of mother was studied with Index of Diet Quality at third trimester of pregnancy and with food frequency questionnaire on sampling day. The children's weights and heights were collected from hospital records at birth and during study visits at 13 months., Results: Overweight women's breast milk compared to normal weight women's breast milk contained higher amount of saturated FAs (46.3 vs. 43.6 %, P = 0.012), lower amount of n-3FAs (2.2 vs. 2.7 %, P = 0.010), lower ratio of unsaturated to saturated FAs (1.1 vs. 1.3, P = 0.008), and higher ratio of n-6 to n-3 FAs (5.7 vs. 4.9, P = 0.031) than those of normal weight women even after adjusting for maternal diet (P < 0.05 for all). Normal weight women adhered more to dietary recommendations during pregnancy, whereas no differences were found in diet at sampling 3 months postpartum. The children's weight gains correlated with saturated FAs (R = 0.22, P = 0.04) and the ratio of unsaturated to saturated FAs (R = -0.23, P = 0.038) in milk; however, effects diminished after adjusting for total duration of breastfeeding. Milk FA composition was not associated with children's cholesterol concentrations at 13 months., Conclusions: Breast milk FA composition differed between overweight and normal weight women.

The complexity of childhood overweight and obesity requires that researchers continue to investigate potential solutions. We developed "The Weighty Matter" intervention to prevent obesity in mildly overweight 4- and 6-year-old children. This article describes the intervention protocol, the health habits of families (n=86), and the effect of the intervention on children's weight for height, parents' body mass indices, and family health habits after a 12-month follow-up. Positive changes were seen in families' health habits, although the results did not reach statistical significance. As a result of this study, a new and practical method was developed to focus on the issue of family health habits.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of individualised dietary and lifestyle counselling, primarily aimed to decrease serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, on the clustering of overweight-related cardiometabolic risk factors in children., Design and Participants: The 7-month-old study children were randomized either to counselling (n = 540) or control group (n = 522)., Main Outcome Measures: The 5- to 15-year-old participants who fulfilled the international criteria were classified as overweight. Being in the highest [lowest for high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol] age- and gender-specific quintile of body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, serum triglycerides, HDL cholesterol or glucose was considered a risk factor. A cluster was defined as having high BMI and > or = 2 other risk factors., Results: The counselling did not reduce the prevalence of overweight in 5- to 15-year-old participants. From age 7 onwards, the proportion of children with > or = 2 risk factors was lower in the intervention than in the control group (p = 0.005). At the age of 15 years, 13.0% of girls and 10.8% of boys in the intervention group and 17.5% of girls and 18.8% of boys in the control group had the risk factor cluster (p = 0.046 for main effect of the study group). Having even one risk factor at the age of 5 years predicted the clustering of risk factors at the age of 15 years (OR: 3.8, p < 0.001)., Conclusion: Repeated, individualized dietary and lifestyle counselling may reduce the clustering of overweight-related cardiometabolic risk factors in adolescents even though the counselling is not intense enough to prevent overweight.

We studied whether the prevalence of overweight since age 2 years differed in sedentary and active adolescents (N=346). Further, we analyzed the energy intake of sedentary and active adolescents across 12 years. BMI was assessed annually since birth, energy intake since age 13 months and parents' BMI from the time their child was 7 months old in a longitudinal atherosclerosis prevention study. Data on physical activity were collected at age 13 years (N=560). Sedentary and Active groups were formed by upper and lower physical activity tertile cut-points. Girls Sedentary at 13 years were more often overweight than Active peers already since age 2 years (P=0.048). Activity habits were not associated with energy intake. Conversely, among boys, activity habits in adolescence were not associated with childhood overweight, while the energy intake of Active boys was higher than that of Sedentary boys (P=0.008). Parental overweight was not associated with the physical activity of children; however, Sedentary girls more often had an overweight mother than Active girls (P=0.021). In conclusion, overweight during early years of life is more common among girls who are Sedentary as adolescents than in Active peers. Overweight mothers more often have Sedentary daughters than normal-weight mothers. A healthy lifestyle right from early childhood requires active support.

Objective: Our goal was to study childhood growth patterns and development of overweight in children who were overweight or normal weight at 13 years of age., Participants and Methods: This study is part of a prospective atherosclerosis-prevention trial Special Turku Coronary Risk Factor Intervention Project for Children). At 7 months of age, 1062 children were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 540) receiving biannual fat-oriented dietary counseling or to a control group (n = 522). Height and weight of the children and their parents were monitored annually. Our study group comprised those children who participated in the 13-year study visit (n = 541). At 13 years of age, the child was classified as overweight (n = 84) if his or her BMI exceeded the international age- and gender-specific overweight criteria., Results: In overweight girls, the annual weight gain increased from 2.8 kg during the third and fourth year of life to 7.5 kg during the 12th year of life, whereas the annual weight gain of the girls who were normal weight ranged from 2.1 to 4.8 kg during the same period. The annual weight gain was similar of overweight boys and in their normal-weight peers until the age of 5 years, but after that it increased from 3.5 to 7.9 kg in overweight and from 2.6 to 5.5 kg in normal-weight boys. The BMI of the girls and boys who were overweight at the age of 13 exceeded the international cutoff point for overweight from the age of 5 and 8 years onward, respectively. The mean BMIs of the mothers and fathers of the overweight children were higher than those of the parents of the normal-weight children. The STRIP intervention had no effect on the examined growth parameters or on parental BMI., Conclusions: The children who were overweight at 13 years of age gained more weight than their normal-weight peers by the age of 2 or 3 years onward. The girls became overweight by the age of 5 years, whereas the boys only after 8 years of age. Parental BMI and steep weight gain in early childhood indicate markedly increased risk for becoming overweight.

ObjectiveTo assess the separate and combined associations of maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain with the risks of pregnancy complications and their population impact.DesignIndividual participant data meta-analysis of 39 cohorts.SettingEurope, North America, and Oceania.Population265 270 births.MethodsInformation on maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, gestational weight gain, and pregnancy complications was obtained. Multilevel binary logistic regression models were used.Main outcome measuresGestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm birth, small and large for gestational age at birth.ResultsHigher maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain were, across their full ranges, associated with higher risks of gestational hypertensive disorders, gestational diabetes, and large for gestational age at birth. Preterm birth risk was higher at lower and higher BMI and weight gain. Compared with normal weight mothers with medium gestational weight gain, obese mothers with high gestational weight gain had the highest risk of any pregnancy complication (odds ratio 2.51, 95% CI 2.31- 2.74). We estimated that 23.9% of any pregnancy complication was attributable to maternal overweight/obesity and 31.6% of large for gestational age infants was attributable to excessive gestational weight gain.ConclusionsMaternal pre-pregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain are, across their full ranges, associated with risks of pregnancy complications. Obese mothers with high gestational weight gain are at the highest risk of pregnancy complications. Promoting a healthy pre-pregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain may reduce the burden of pregnancy complications and ultimately the risk of maternal and neonatal morbidity.Tweetable abstractPromoting a healthy body mass index and gestational weight gain might reduce the population burden of pregnancy complications.