Effects of overweight and obesity on motor and mental development in infants and toddlers.
A consequence of childhood obesity may be poor developmental outcomes.



This study aimed to examine the relationship between weight and developmental delays in young children.



We conducted a secondary analysis of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Birth Cohort data. Logistic regression models quantified the association between different weight statuses (normal weight <85th, overweight ≥90th, obese ≥95th percentile for weight) and delays in motor and mental development.



Children classified as overweight in both waves had higher percentages of delays in wave 2 (motor [7.5 vs. 6.2-6.4%], mental [8.6 vs. 5.9-6.7%]), as well as wave 1 and/or wave 2 (motor [14.8 vs. 10.9-13.0%], mental [11.9 vs. 9.0-10.1%]), compared with other children. This association was also found in children who were obese at both time points in wave 2 (motor delay [8.9 vs. 4.9-7.3%], mental delay [10.3 vs. 6.0-7.2%]), as well as wave 1 and/or wave 2 (motor delay [14.5 vs. 10.9-12.9%], mental delay [14.1 vs. 9.4-10.1%]). In the adjusted models, children classified as always obese were more likely to have a mental delay in wave 2 (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.89, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.21-2.95) as well as wave 1 and/or wave 2 (aOR 1.56, 95% CI: 1.08-2.26). These children were also more likely to have motor delay (aOR 1.47, 95% CI: 1.02-2.13) in wave 1 and/or wave 2.



Overweight children are more likely than their normal-weight peers to have motor and mental developmental delays. Preventing obesity during infancy may facilitate reducing developmental delays in young children.
Department of Pediatrics, Primary Care Division, Stony Brook School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, USA. rosa.cataldo@stonybrookmedicine.edu.
R
R
Cataldo
Department of Applied Math and Statistics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
J
J
Huang
Department of Pediatrics, Primary Care Division, Stony Brook School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
R
R
Calixte
Department of Pediatrics, Primary Care Division, Stony Brook School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
A T
AT
Wong
Department of Pediatrics, Primary Care Division, Stony Brook School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
J
J
Bianchi-Hayes
Department of Pediatrics, Primary Care Division, Stony Brook School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
S
S
Pati
D000293:Adolescent; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D050177:Overweight / Q000150:complications*; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000150:complications*
Childhood obesity; developmental delay; mental delay; motor delay