Abstract
Background: Maternal obesity in pregnancy predicts offspring psychopathology risk in childhood but evidence is scarce and conflicting on whether maternal obesity or underweight predict adulthood mental disorders. Methods: We examined longitudinally whether maternal body mass index (BMI) in pregnancy was associated with mental disorders in her offspring born 1950-1999, and whether the associations differed by child birth year, among 68571 mother-child dyads of Aberdeen Maternity and Neonatal Databank, Scotland. Maternal BMI was measured at a mean 15.7 gestational weeks and classified into underweight, normal weight, overweight, moderate obesity and severe obesity. Mental disorders were identified from nationwide health registers carrying diagnoses of all hospitalizations and deaths in Scotland in 1996-2017. Outcomes: Independently of maternal mental disorders and other covariates, maternal BMI was associated with offspring mental disorders in a time-dependent manner. In offspring born 1950-1974, maternal underweight predicted the hazard of mental disorders [Hazard Ratio(HR)=1.74, 95% Confidence Interval(CI)=1.01-3.00). In offspring born 1975-1999, maternal severe obesity predicted increased hazards of any mental disorder (HR=1.60, 95% CI=1.08-2.38), substance use (HR=1.91, 95% CI=1.03-3.57) and schizophrenia spectrum (HR=2.80, 95% CI=1.40-5.63) disorders. Interpretation: Our findings support the developmental origins of health and disease framework by showing time-specific associations between maternal BMI in pregnancy and mental disorders in adult offspring. Considering the marked rise in obesity prevalence, the findings carry important public health implications by underlining the possible effects of maternal nutrition on offspring mental disorders across the lifespan. Funding Statement: Academy of Finland, European Commission EraNet Neuron, University of Helsinki. We acknowledge the support of the British Heart Foundation (RE/18/5/34216) and Tommy’s. Declaration of Interests: None of the authors have any conflicts of interest to declare. Ethics Approval Statement: Ethics and Governance approvals were obtained from the NHS Scotland's Public Benefit and Privacy Panel for Health and Social Care (Reference 516-0594) and the AMND steering committee.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
