Journal Article

The Associations of Maternal Health Characteristics, Newborn Metabolite Concentrations, and Child Body Mass Index among US Children in the ECHO Program

Paneth, Nigel S., Snyder, Brittney M., Gebretsadik, Tebeb, Gern, James E., Dupont, William D., Fry, Rebecca C., Wu, Pingsheng, Hartert, Tina V., Dabelea, Dana M., Lynch, Susan V., Rohrig, Nina B., Ryckman, Kelli K., McEvoy, Cindy T.

2023

Overview

We aimed first to assess associations between maternal health characteristics and newborn metabolite concentrations and second to assess associations between metabolites associated with maternal health characteristics and child body mass index (BMI). This study included 3492 infants enrolled in three birth cohorts with linked newborn screening metabolic data. Maternal health characteristics were ascertained from questionnaires, birth certificates, and medical records. Child BMI was ascertained from medical records and study visits. We used multivariate analysis of variance, followed by multivariable linear/proportional odds regression, to determine maternal health characteristic-newborn metabolite associations. Significant associations were found in discovery and replication cohorts of higher pre-pregnancy BMI with increased C0 and higher maternal age at delivery with increased C2 (C0: discovery: aβ 0.05 [95% CI 0.03, 0.07]; replication: aβ 0.04 [95% CI 0.006, 0.06]; C2: discovery: aβ 0.04 [95% CI 0.003, 0.08]; replication: aβ 0.04 [95% CI 0.02, 0.07]). Social Vulnerability Index, insurance, and residence were also associated with metabolite concentrations in a discovery cohort. Associations between metabolites associated with maternal health characteristics and child BMI were modified from 1–3 years (interaction: p < 0.05). These findings may provide insights on potential biologic pathways through which maternal health characteristics may impact fetal metabolic programming and child growth patterns.

• Publisher: MDPI AG,MDPI
• Subject: Amino acids / Analysis / Babies / Birth certificates / Birth weight / Body mass index / Child development / child growth patterns / Children / Children & youth / Enrollments / Ethnicity / fetal metabolic programming / Fetuses / Gestational age / Growth patterns / Health aspects / Health care / Maternal & child health / maternal stressors / Medical records / Medical screening / Metabolism / Metabolites / Multivariate analysis / Newborn babies / newborn metabolites / Pregnancy / prenatal and perinatal exposures / Public health / Questionnaires / Replication / Self report