Maternal Body Mass Index Is Strongly Associated with Children Z -Scores for Height and BMI

Abstract

Introduction . Undernutrition continues to be a major public health problem throughout the developing world, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia including India. Limited studies suggest associations between maternal body mass index (BMI) and child nutritional status. The present study aims to determine the relationship between maternal BMI and children nutritional status. Methods . The study was conducted among 246 mothers who had given birth to single children ( n = 246 ) and belonged to the Proto-Australoid population of North Bengal, India. The anthropometric measurements of height and weight were recorded following standard procedures. Overall body composition was evaluated using BMI. Result . The results showed that overall mean BMI among mothers was 20.63 ± 2.53 kg/m 2 , while those among boys and girls were 15.19 ± 1.62 kg/m 2 and 14.86 ± 1.37 kg/m 2 ( p < 0.001 ), respectively. The BMI of mothers were significantly and highly correlated with HAZ (0.709) and BMIZ (0.748) ( p < 0.001 ) of children. These are indicative of a strong genetic component between maternal and child anthropometry. Conclusion . The results indicate significant associations between mothers’ and children’s nutritional status. Assessments of body composition and nutritional status using BMI, especially among mothers and their children, are recommended.