Monday 14 October 2019
Babies born by planned caesarean are more likely to be obese in early childhood
The research, published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, discovered that planned caesarean birth was a significant predictor of obesity at age two, however this association was not apparent by the time children were four-and-a-half years old.
The international comparative study examined data collected as part of this country’s largest longitudinal study, the University of Auckland’s Growing Up in New Zealand. The study examined data collected for more than 6,000 children born in 2009 and 2010. Researchers cross referenced delivery data with height and weight measurements for the same children when they were aged two and four-and-a-half years old.
Lead researcher, Dr Gwinyai Masukume says the findings highlight the potential impacts on infant growth of different delivery choices. Gwinyai says “the results show that the type of delivery may have an impact on infant growth rates, at least in the short term and I hope this latest research will feed into discussions between mothers and their medical professionals about delivery options”.
This research was carried out in conjunction with the Centre for Longitudinal Research at the University of Auckland, University College Cork, University of Leicester and the University of Liverpool.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jech-2019-212591
