Associations Between Maternal Obesity and Pregnancy Hyperglycemia and Timing of Puberty Onset in Adolescent Girls: A Population-Based Study

AbstractEarly puberty is associated with adverse health outcomes. We investigated whether in utero exposure to maternal obesity is associated with daughters ’ pubertal timing using 15,267 racially/ethnically diverse Kaiser Permanente Northern California members aged 6–11 years with pediatrician-assessed Tanner staging (2003–2017). We calculated maternal body mass index (BMI; weight (kg)/height (m)2) during pregnancy from the electronic health record data. Using a proportional hazards model with interval censoring, we examined the associations between maternal obesity and girls ’ pubertal timing, as well as effect modification by race/ethnicity and mediation by prepubertal BMI. Maternal obesity (BMI ≥30) and overweight (BMI 25–29.9) were associated with earlier onset of breast development in girls (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.39 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.30, 1.49) a nd HR = 1.21 (95% CI: 1.13, 1.29), respectively), after adjustment for girl’s race/ethnicity, maternal age, education, parity, and smoking during pregnancy. There was interaction by race/ethnicity for associations between maternal obesity and girls’ pubic hair onset: Associations were strongest among Asian and non-Hispanic white girls (HR = 1.53 (95% CI: 1.24, 1.90) and HR = 1.34 (95% CI: 1.18, 1.52), respectively) and absent for African-American girls. Adjustment for girl’s prepubertal BMI only slightly attenuated associations. Our results suggest the importance of maternal metabolic fa ctors du...
Source: American Journal of Epidemiology - Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research