Relationship between the rate of gestational weight gain and overweight in offspring at the age of 3 years

Objective: To assess the relationship between maternal weight gain during pregnancy and overweight including obesity in 3-year-old offspring. Methods: The present study comprised 3916 children born between 1997-2004 in Pirkanmaa, southern Finland, with increased HLA-conferred susceptibility to type 1 diabetes. Information on both maternal anthropometries at first and last antenatal visit and BMI (body mass index) in the offspring at 3 years of age was available for 2143 mother-singleton child pairs. Rate of gestational weight gain was calculated as [(weight at last – weight at first antenatal visit) /number of weeks between the visits] and divided into quarters. Childhood overweight (obesity included) was defined according to IOTF (International Obesity Task Force) criteria for BMI. Logistic regression was used to study the relationship of rate of gestational weight gain and potential confounders to child overweight. Results: Prevalence of overweight was higher in girls (14.6%) than in boys (7.8%), p=