Obesity among offspring of women with type 1 diabetes.
OBJECTIVE
To determine subsequent growth and body composition of children born to women with type 1 diabetes compared with controls.


METHODS
Prospective cohort study.


METHODS
Follow-up of offspring born to women with type 1 diabetes and controls from an earlier study of diabetes and lactation.


METHODS
Seventeen nondiabetic offspring of women with type 1 diabetes and 18 offspring of control women (age range 5.9 to 9.0 years).


METHODS
Anthropometric measures at follow-up included height, weight, triceps and subscapular skinfold thickness. Information on usual nutrient intakes and physical activity patterns was elicited through questionnaires. Body composition was determined from skinfold thickness measures and bioelectrical impedance analysis. A child was identified as obese if he or she met at least 2 of the following 4 criteria for obesity: (1) weight-for-height equal to or greater than 120% of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) reference median plus triceps skinfold greater than the 85th percentile; (2) body mass index (BMI) greater than the 95th percentile for age and sex; (3) percent body fat (from impedance measures) equal to or greater than 25 for boys and 30 for girls; or (4) percent body fat (from sum of skinfold measures) equal to or greater than 25 for boys and 30 for girls.


RESULTS
There were 7 obese children in the type 1 diabetes group and none in the control group (p = 0.007). Obese children did not differ from nonobese children in birth weight, body fat patterning, nutrient intake, physical activity patterns, maternal pregravid weight or blood glucose control during the last trimester of pregnancy. Mothers of obese children, however, had fewer years of education and gained more weight during pregnancy compared with mothers of nonobese children in the type 1 diabetes group (p < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Obesity during childhood is a significant problem among nondiabetic children of women with type 1 diabetes. The association of childhood obesity with lower maternal education and excessive pregnancy weight gain warrants further investigation.
Rodrigues
S
S
School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, McGill University, Montreal, Que.
Ferris
A M
AM
Peréz-Escamilla
R
R
Backstrand
J R
JR
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000209:etiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011254:Pregnancy in Diabetics / Q000150:complications*; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D011446:Prospective Studies