title: The impact of maternal prenatal smoking on the development of childhood overweight in school-aged children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Maternal smoking during pregnancy likely increase the risk of childhood overweight. Childhood overweight is influenced by socioeconomic characteristics of mothers. Characteristics of child at birth determine the likelihood of overweight.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children of mothers who smoked 1 year before birth (including pregnancy) were likely to be overweight during school ages than those of mothers who never smoked. Confirmation that socioeconomic characteristics of mothers influence the likelihood of childhood overweight during school age. Smoking cessation should be targeted at mothers 1 year before birth to improve their health status and that of offspring.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine associations between maternal smoking and overweight among school-aged children and also identify mothers and offspring characteristics that affect children's weight.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCY). Childhood overweight was defined as having Body Mass Index (BMI) of 85th percentile or above. Smoking patterns among mothers were assessed by questioning smoking behaviour 1 year before birth of the target child: never or ever smoking. Standardized procedures were used to measure height and weight. Descriptive statistics and generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used for the analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Descriptive results showed that children of mothers who smoked anytime within 1 year before birth were more likely to be overweight and have higher BMI percentile averages. GEE results showed that children of mothers who were ever smokers 1 year before birth were more likely to be overweight (OR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.94) and have higher BMI percentile averages (β = 4.46, P = 0.036) from grades 1 through 6 than those of mothers who were never smokers. Additionally, the level of mother's education and birth weight were significantly associated with childhood overweight.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Confirmed relationships between maternal smoking and overweight among school-aged children have important implications for public health policy because this evidence can be used to enhance smoking cessation 1 year before birth to improve the health status of mothers and offspring.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, College of Public Health, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA. wangl2@etsu.edu
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Mamudu
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D011050:Policy Making; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011336:Probability; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires