Investigation of the relationship between exposure to preeclampsia and overweight/obesity in 2-7 year old children

Abstract

Objectives: Childhood obesity has reached alarming and concerning levels in many countries and poses an urgent and serious challenge to public health. In addition, gestational hypertension contributes to an elevated risk of obesity in children. The present study aimed at determining the relationship between exposure to preeclampsia and overweight/obesity occurrence in children aged 2-7 years old. Materials and Methods: This observational case-control study was designed to assess the relationship between exposure to preeclampsia and overweight/obesity in children aged 2-7 years old. The study population included 205 children within the age range of 2-7 years old referring to Sari Pediatric Endocrinology Clinic as the case group and 209 healthy children who were selected from health centers as the control group and were homogenous in terms of demographic variables. Finally, data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 24), and P value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The present study was conducted on a total number of 414 children aged 2-7 years old with a mean and standard deviation of 4.41±1.76 years, including 226 females (54.6%) and 188 males (45.4%). The obtained results revealed that gestational hypertension increased the risk of obesity in children significantly (OR=1.88, 95% CI=1.46-2.68). Conclusions: Based on the results of the present research and similar studies, gestational hypertension is associated with overweight and obesity in children.