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Parental smoking during pregnancy and total and abdominal fat distribution in school-age children: the Generation R Study

International Journal of Obesity volume 38, pages 966–972 (2014)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Objective:

Fetal smoke exposure may influence growth and body composition later in life. We examined the associations of maternal and paternal smoking during pregnancy with total and abdominal fat distribution in school-age children.

Methods:

We performed a population-based prospective cohort study among 5243 children followed from early pregnancy onward in the Netherlands. Information about parental smoking was obtained by questionnaires during pregnancy. At the median age of 6.0 years (90% range: 5.7–7.4), we measured anthropometrics, total fat and android/gynoid fat ratio by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and preperitoneal and subcutaneous abdominal fat were measured by ultrasound.

Results:

The associations of maternal smoking during pregnancy were only present among girls (P-value for sex interaction<0.05). Compared with girls from mothers who did not smoke during pregnancy, those from mothers who smoked during the first trimester only had a higher android/gynoid fat ratio (difference 0.23 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.09–0.37) s.d. scores (SDS). Girls from mothers who continued smoking throughout pregnancy had a higher body mass index (difference: 0.24 (95% CI: 0.14–0.35) SDS), total fat mass (difference: 0.23 (95% CI: 0.14–0.33) SDS), android/gynoid fat ratio (difference: 0.34 (95% CI: 0.22–0.46) SDS), subcutaneous abdominal fat (difference: 0.22 (95% CI: 0.11–0.33) SDS) and preperitoneal abdominal fat (difference: 0.20 (95% CI: 0.08–0.31) SDS). Similar associations with body fat distribution outcomes were observed for paternal smoking during pregnancy. Both continued maternal and paternal smoking during pregnancy may be associated with an increased risk of childhood overweight. The corresponding odds ratios were 1.19 (95% CI: 0.98–1.46) and 1.32 (1.10–1.58), respectively.

Conclusions:

Maternal and paternal smoking during pregnancy are associated with an adverse body and abdominal fat distribution and increased risk of overweight in children. Similar effects of maternal and paternal smoking suggest that direct intrauterine mechanisms and common family-based lifestyle-related factors explain the associations.

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Acknowledgements

BD and VWVJ designed and conducted the research. BD analyzed the data and wrote the paper. DHMH, HRT, RM, HR, AH, EAPS and RG provided comments and consultation regarding the analyses and manuscript. BD and VWVJ had primary responsibility for final content. All authors gave final approval of the version to be published. The Generation R Study is conducted by the Erasmus Medical Center in close collaboration with the School of Law and Faculty of Social Sciences of the Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Municipal Health Service Rotterdam area, Rotterdam, the Rotterdam Homecare Foundation, Rotterdam and the Stichting Trombosedienst and Artsenlaboratorium Rijnmond (STAR), Rotterdam. We gratefully acknowledge the contribution of participating mothers, general practitioners, hospitals, midwives and pharmacies in Rotterdam. The Generation R Study is made possible by financial support from the Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Erasmus University Rotterdam and the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development. VWVJ received an additional grant from the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMw, VIDI). BD received an unrestricted grant from Danone Research. This research has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013), project EarlyNutrition under grant agreement number 289346.

DISCLAIMERThe study sponsors had no role in study design, data analysis, interpretation of data or writing this report.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    B Durmuş, D H M Heppe, H R Taal, R Gaillard & V W V Jaddoe

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    B Durmuş, D H M Heppe, H R Taal, R Gaillard & V W V Jaddoe

  3. Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    B Durmuş, D H M Heppe, H R Taal, A Hofman, R Gaillard & V W V Jaddoe

  4. Department of Radiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    R Manniesing

  5. Department of Public Health, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    H Raat

  6. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    E A P Steegers

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  1. B Durmuş
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Durmuş, B., Heppe, D., Taal, H. et al. Parental smoking during pregnancy and total and abdominal fat distribution in school-age children: the Generation R Study. Int J Obes 38, 966–972 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2014.9

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