title: Risk Factors for Childhood Obesity in the First 1,000 Days: A Systematic Review.
abstract: Mounting evidence suggests that the origins of childhood obesity and related disparities can be found as early as the "first 1,000 days"-the period from conception to age 2 years. The main goal of this study is to systematically review existing evidence for modifiable childhood obesity risk factors present from conception to age 2 years.
  
  
  
  PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched for studies published between January 1, 1980, and December 12, 2014, of childhood obesity risk factors present during the first 1,000 days. Prospective, original human subject, English-language research with exposure occurrence during the first 1,000 days and with the outcome of childhood overweight or obesity (BMI ≥85th percentile for age and sex) collected between age 6 months and 18 years were analyzed between December 13, 2014, and March 15, 2015.
  
  
  
  Of 5,952 identified citations, 282 studies met inclusion criteria. Several risk factors during the first 1,000 days were consistently associated with later childhood obesity. These included higher maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, prenatal tobacco exposure, maternal excess gestational weight gain, high infant birth weight, and accelerated infant weight gain. Fewer studies also supported gestational diabetes, child care attendance, low strength of maternal-infant relationship, low SES, curtailed infant sleep, inappropriate bottle use, introduction of solid food intake before age 4 months, and infant antibiotic exposure as risk factors for childhood obesity.
  
  
  
  Modifiable risk factors in the first 1,000 days can inform future research and policy priorities and intervention efforts to prevent childhood obesity.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Academic Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York City, New York.
authors.forename: Jennifer A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Woo Baidal
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Lindsey M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Locks
authors.affiliation: Division of General Academic Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Erika R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; Kraft Center for Community Health Leadership, Partners Healthcare, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Tiffany L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Blake-Lamb
authors.affiliation: Division of General Academic Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Meghan E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Perkins
authors.affiliation: Division of General Academic Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Nutrition, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts. Electronic address: elsie.taveras@mgh.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Elsie M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Taveras
mesh_terms: D001724:Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D006801:Humans; D000068097:Maternal Health; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000209:etiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000502:physiology*