Obesity risk factors in females

Obesity in a female child is related to the body mass index and weight gain in a mother, as well as her own weight gain during early childhood.Researchers at the Columbia University in New York City did a follow-up study of 261 women born between 1959 and 1965 to find out which factors affect their risk of obesity as adults. The maternal factors (BMI and maternal weight gain), birth measures (birth weight, placental weight), and early infancy and childhood growth measures were recorded. It was found that the amount of weight a woman's mother gained during pregnancy influenced her risk of being overweight at the age of 20 years, with every 4.5 kg increase in weight gain being associated with a 65 per cent greater likelihood of being overweight. However, the mother's pregnancy weight gain had no effect on whether or not a woman would be overweight at the age of 40 years, suggesting that current environmental factors had a greater influence. The same was true for a mother's body mass index. Rapid weight gain between one and seven years of age was the only factor to influence obesity risk at both time points. Given that people today are heavier than they were four decades ago, and that women tend to gain more weight during pregnancy (averaging 14 kg in 2003, compared to 10 kg in the early 1960s), these trends point to dramatic long-term consequences for the prevalence of overweight in adulthood. Nevertheless, the findings should not be interpreted as discouraging women from gaining enough weight during pregnancy. Having a healthy weight gain and having a healthy size baby at birth is very important for reducing infant death rate. Limiting weight gain in pregnancy carries many risks, including possibly even predisposing smaller birth weight infants to future obesity by promoting rapid growth in early childhood.The findings offer clues to how obesity prevention efforts might target certain time points in a person's life and also underscore the importance of maintaining a healthy weight for life. A continued focus on maintaining a healthy body mass index throughout life can improve a woman's health and may ultimately influence her child's health.