Maternal overweight and its relation with child’s anthropometric indices

Abstract Objectives: to investigate the relation between maternal overweight and child’s anthropometric indices, identifying the interaction with the child's age. Methods: a cross-sectional study with mothers and their children under 2 years old. The mothers’ body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio and waist-to-height ratio was calculated. In children, we calculated height/age (H/A), body mass index/age (BMI/A), weight/height (W/H) and weight/age (W/A) indices. The means of the anthropometric indices of children with excess weight and maternal cardiometabolic risk were compared. Mothers and children’s anthropometric indices were correlated. Linear regression models were proposed. We investigated the child's age interaction with anthropometric variables of the dyad. Results: the means of BMI/A and W/H were higher in children of overweight mothers and the means of BMI/A, W/H and W/A were higher when mothers had increased risk for cardiometabolic diseases. There was an association of maternal weight and height with the W/A index; maternal BMI with W/H; maternal height with H/A; maternal weight, BMI and waist circumference with BMI/A. The children's age did not interact with the assessed parameters. Conclusion: children under 2 years of age, whose mothers are overweight, tend to show changes in weight, regardless of age.