Gestational weight gain and child cognitive development

Women who take too much or not enough weight during pregnancy can be reassured of that side: It will not affect any of the cognitive development of their child. That's what this study demonstrates Nationwide Children's Hospital published in the February 7 edition of the International Journal of Epidemiology, who nevertheless recalls that poor weight gain or excessive during pregnancy can have negative consequences for the fetus and the newborn, including in terms of infant mortality.


"The challenge for the study of the association between gestational weight gain and cognitive outcomes for children is to separate the effect of gestational weight gain than other confounding factors," says Dr. Sarah A. Keim, principal investigator at the Center for Health Nationwide Children's Hospital. These confounders are maternal intelligence, family environment, which will promote the cognitive development of children, but also include other criteria as diverse as the diet of the family, practicing a physical exercise during pregnancy, genetic factors. All these factors may influence neurodevelopment of the child.


The study by Dr. Keim has examined children aged 4 to 7 years based on data from the study cohort US Collaborative Perinatal Project and using two different statistical approaches. The most traditional approach practices an adjustment for factors such as maternal weight before pregnancy, maternal race and sex of the baby. The other approach takes into account all potential confounding factors present in the siblings.

The two techniques show no association between gestational weight gain and cognitive abilities of the child. In short, results confirm that the gestational weight gain is usually not associated with cognitive development of children.


Source: International Journal of Epidemiology 2012 Feb 7. Gestational weight gain and child cognitive development

Posted in: Pregnancy