Maternal Lifestyle Factors

Higher maternal BMI appeared to reduce the odds of small for gestational age and breastfeeding, with no detectable effect on perinatal depression. The proposed mechanism linking maternal and child nutritional status includes shared diet, income patterns, and heredity. Children of overweight mothers had higher odds of overweight or obesity than children of underweight mothers. Higher maternal BMI increases risk for multiple APPOs including gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, delivery interventions, LGA, and neonatal intensive care admission. Maternal smoking was associated with fetal growth restriction from early in the second trimester, while early cessation did not show a major fetal growth deficit. Maternal obesity was independently associated with three- to four-fold higher odds of childhood obesity. Insomnia may increase perinatal depression risk but showed no apparent effect on most other evaluated APPOs. MR-PREG aims to improve understanding of how modifiable maternal lifestyle factors affect APPO risk.