Abstract
The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between parental anxiety (father-only, mother-only, or both) and infant weight change. We performed a secondary data analysis among 551 children in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a birth cohort with weight measurements collected prospectively at 4, 8, and 12 months of age. Paternal and maternal anxiety symptoms were based on the eight-item anxiety subscale of the Crown-Crisp Experiential Index. Scores in the top 15% at 8 weeks postpartum were classified as high anxiety. Generalized Estimating Equations were employed to estimate the joint association between parental anxiety and change in child weight-for-age z-score. Children who had fathers, but not mothers, with anxiety showed a 0.15 (95% CI: 0.01, 0.29) greater increase in weight-for-age z-score than children with neither parent anxious. This result suggests that paternal anxiety, not maternal anxiety, was associated with increases in child weight gain in the first year of life. Public health practitioners and clinicians should consider the use of robust measures of both maternal and paternal anxiety in the postpartum period, in addition to the suggested screening for postpartum depression. Given the limitations of the study, this study should be considered preliminary and hypothesis generating.
Highlights
Rapid weight gain in the first year of life can lead to adverse health consequences, including increased risk for obesity and other chronic diseases [1,2,3]
As the mechanism of the association between parental anxiety and excess infant weight gain may differ depending on the presence or absence of feeding difficulties, we examined whether maternal-reported feeding difficulties modified the association between parental anxiety and excess infant weight gain
Given that anxiety among mothers and fathers during the perinatal period is common in high-income countries [12,29,38,39], in this study we focused on parental anxiety symptoms
Summary
Rapid weight gain in the first year of life can lead to adverse health consequences, including increased risk for obesity and other chronic diseases [1,2,3]. Prior studies have linked maternal depression and anxiety to excess infant weight gain [4,5]. Many studies have examined the relation between maternal mental health and infant weight gain [4,5], paternal anxiety has been understudied. Fathers with anxiety may influence maternal feeding practices associated with excess infant weight gain. Paternal and maternal anxiety are positively correlated with child anxiety [14,15], which in turn may influence children’s self-regulation and fussiness during mealtimes [16]. Anxiety in both mothers and fathers could be associated with changes in children’s weight over time. Longitudinal designs that assess relations between parental anxiety evaluated prior to infant weight measurements, infant weight gain, and feeding problems are relevant, but rare
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