Parental physical and lifestyle factors and their association with newborn body composition

Objective: To investigate the parental physical and lifestyle determinants of newborn body composition. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: Cork University Maternity Hospital, a tertiary referral hospital in Cork, Ireland. Population: All babies were recruited as part of a prospective birth cohort, Babies After SCOPE: Evaluating the Longitudinal Impact Using Neurological and Nutritional Endpoints (BASELINE). These babies were recruited from women who had participated in the Screening of Pregnancy Endpoints (SCOPE) study Ireland, a prospective, multicentre cohort study. Methods: Multivariate linear regression was used to analyse the effect of a range of maternal and paternal physical and lifestyle features on neonatal body fat percentage (BF%). Main outcome measures: Neonatal BF%. Neonatal adiposity was assessed within 48 hours of birth using air displacement plethysmography (PEAPOD^®). Results: In all, 1243 infants were enrolled in the study. Increasing maternal body mass index (adjusted mean difference 0.09; 0.04, 0.15) and waist height ratio (adjusted mean difference 6.59; 0.27, 12.92) were significantly associated with increased neonatal BF%. In contrast, maternal smoking was associated with reduced neonatal BF% compared with non smokers (adjusted mean difference –0.55; –1.07, –0.03). Infant sex significantly altered neonatal BF%, with female infants having higher neonatal BF% compared with male infants (adjusted mean difference 1.98; 1.54, 2.53). No association was observed between paternal body mass index (BMI), paternal age or paternal smoking and neonatal BF%. Conclusions: Maternal smoking, BMI, waist height ratio and infant sex were associated with altered BF%. Tweetable abstract: Maternal smoking, BMI, waist height ratio and infant sex are associated with altered neonatal body fat percentage.