Parent-focused childhood overweight and obesity eHealth interventions: A systematic review and meta-analysis

We systematically reviewed research examining the association between gestational diabetes (GDM) and childhood overweight and obesity. We identified studies from three sources: (1) a PubMed search of articles published between January 1990–January 2011, (2) reference lists of publications from the PubMed search, and (3) reference lists of review articles. We included studies that examined GDM separately from pregestational diabetes and childhood overweight or obesity defined as BMI > 85th or 95th percentile. A total of 12 studies were included in the systematic review. Crude odds ratios for the relationship between GDM and childhood overweight or obesity ranged from 0.7 to 6.3; in 8 studies, the associations were not statistically significant. In only 3 studies were results adjusted for any confounders; in the 2 that adjusted for prepregnancy obesity, the GDM and childhood overweight or obesity associations were attenuated and not statistically significant after adjustment. This paper demonstrates inconsistent evidence of an association between GDM and offspring overweight and obesity due to the methodological limitations of existing studies. Recommendations for future research are presented, which address methodological challenges.

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Systematic review and meta-analyses of risk factors for childhood overweight identifiable during infancy

Archives of Disease in Childhood ◽

10.1136/archdischild-2012-302263 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 97 (12) ◽

pp. 1019-1026 ◽

Cited By ~ 334

Author(s):

Stephen Franklin Weng ◽

Sarah A Redsell ◽

Judy A Swift ◽

Min Yang ◽

Cristine P Glazebrook

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Weight Gain ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Childhood Overweight ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Future Research ◽

First Year ◽

First Year Of Life ◽

Infant Birth

ObjectiveTo determine risk factors for childhood overweight that can be identified during the first year of life to facilitate early identification and targeted intervention.DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis.Search strategyElectronic database search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed and CAB Abstracts.Eligibility criteriaProspective observational studies following up children from birth for at least 2 years.ResultsThirty prospective studies were identified. Significant and strong independent associations with childhood overweight were identified for maternal pre-pregnancy overweight, high infant birth weight and rapid weight gain during the first year of life. Meta-analysis comparing breastfed with non-breastfed infants found a 15% decrease (95% CI 0.74 to 0.99; I2=73.3%; n=10) in the odds of childhood overweight. For children of mothers smoking during pregnancy there was a 47% increase (95% CI 1.26 to 1.73; I2=47.5%; n=7) in the odds of childhood overweight. There was some evidence associating early introduction of solid foods and childhood overweight. There was conflicting evidence for duration of breastfeeding, socioeconomic status at birth, parity and maternal marital status at birth. No association with childhood overweight was found for maternal age or education at birth, maternal depression or infant ethnicity. There was inconclusive evidence for delivery type, gestational weight gain, maternal postpartum weight loss and ‘fussy’ infant temperament due to the limited number of studies.ConclusionsSeveral risk factors for both overweight and obesity in childhood are identifiable during infancy. Future research needs to focus on whether it is clinically feasible for healthcare professionals to identify infants at greatest risk.

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