Weights of parents and infants: Is there a relationship?

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship between the measures of body weights of parents and those of their children during the first two years of life.

SUBJECTS: Seventy-eight infants born to obese (‘high risk’) or nonobese (‘low risk’) mothers.

METHODS: Weight, weight for length and skinfold thicknesses of the high and low risk infants were measured at 3 months, 12 months and 24 months of age. A multiple linear regression analysis assessed the contributions of nine risk factors, including paternal and maternal body mass index (BMI: kg/m²), to the weight and weight for length of infants at 12 months and 24 months of age.

RESULTS: There were no differences between the high and low risk groups in weight, weight for length or skinfold thicknesses at 3 months, 12 months or 24 months of age. Neither paternal nor maternal BMI entered the multiple regression.

CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that genetic influences on the body weight of infants may be independent of those that influence BMI in adults, a circumstance that could complicate the search for genetic determinants of obesity.