Prenatal Obesity and Childhood Neuropsychiatric Symptoms

Evidence of a link between prenatal maternal obesity and adverse neuropsychiatric outcomes in children has been inconsistent, and previous researchers did not control for maternal anxiety and depression. This study from Scotland assessed neuropsychiatric outcomes in 112 three- to five-year-old children whose mothers had participated in a longitudinal study of obesity during pregnancy.

Of the mothers, 50 were very severely obese (BMI, ≥40 kg/m²) during pregnancy, and 62 were lean (BMI, 18–25 kg/m²). Mothers completed questionnaires about their child's neuropsychiatric symptoms and about their own levels of anxiety and depression. Results were adjusted for the child's sex, age, gestational age, birthweight, and socioeconomic status and for mat…