Is there an intrauterine influence on obesity? Evidence from parent child associations in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC).
BACKGROUND
It has been suggested that increasing obesity levels in young women lead to intrauterine environments that, in turn, stimulate increased obesity among their offspring, generating an intergenerational acceleration of obesity levels. If this mechanism is important, the association of maternal body mass index (BMI) with offspring BMI should be stronger than the association of paternal with offspring BMI.


OBJECTIVE
To compare the relative strengths of association of maternal and paternal BMI with offspring BMI at age 7.5, taking into account the possible effect of non-paternity.


METHODS
We compared strength of association for maternal-offspring and paternal-offspring BMI for 4654 complete parent-offspring trios in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), using unstandardised and standardised regression analysis. We carried out a sensitivity analysis to investigate the influence of non-paternity on these associations.


RESULTS
The strength of association between parental BMI and offspring BMI at age 7.5 was similar for both parents. Taking into account correlations between maternal and paternal BMI, performing standardised rather than unstandardised regression and carrying out a sensitivity analysis for non-paternity emphasised the robustness of the general similarity of the associations. The associations between high parental BMI (top decile) and offspring BMI are also similar for both parents.


CONCLUSIONS
Comparison of mother-offspring and father-offspring associations for BMI suggests that intergenerational acceleration mechanisms do not make an important contribution to levels of childhood BMI within the population. Associations at later ages and for different components of body composition now require study.
Davey Smith
George
G
Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. zetkin@bristol.ac.uk
Steer
Colin
C
Leary
Sam
S
Ness
Andy
A
D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005220:Fathers; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers; D009765:Obesity / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D011247:Pregnancy; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology