Association between Pre-pregnancy Body Mass Index and Offspring Neuropsychological Development from 1 to 24 Months of Age: A Birth Cohort Study in China

Abstract

Objective: To explore the interactions between pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and age on offspring neuropsychological development from 1 to 24 months in China.

Methods: In this birth cohort study, a total of 2,253 mother-child pairs were enrolled in Tianjin, China, between July 2015 and May 2018. The China Developmental Scale for Children was used to assess developmental quotient (DQ) of children aged from 1 to 24 months.

Results: Mixed-models analysis revealed significant age × pre-pregnancy BMI interactions for total DQ and five neurobehavioral domains (gross motor, fine motor, adaptive, language, and social; P < 0.001). Age × pre-pregnancy BMI ⪖ 25 kg/m2 was associated with a negative effect on total DQ and five neurobehavioral domains, as compared to pre-pregnancy BMI < 25 kg/m2 (P < 0.01). Multiple comparisons showed pre-pregnancy BMI ⪖ 25 kg/m2 of mothers had a positive effect on child total DQ at the age of 1 month but a negative effect at 24 months (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: This study supported the age × pre-pregnancy BMI interaction on offspring neuropsychological development. It also revealed a short-term positive impact of high pre-pregnancy BMI on neuropsychological development at 1 month of age, but a long-term negative effect (from 1 to 24 months).

Keywords: Birth cohort study; Neuropsychological development; Offspring; Pre-pregnancy BMI; The first 1,000 days.