Poor Sleep Quality in Late Pregnancy Associated with Increased Obesity Risk in Children

The study advocates for the inclusion of sleep quality evaluations in standard prenatal care, proposing that addressing sleep issues could enhance the health of both mother and child. These findings are published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Sleep health during pregnancy and childhood obesity are significant public health challenges. From 1990 to 2022, childhood and adolescent obesity rates more than doubled, currently affecting over 390 million children aged 5 to 19 worldwide.

Previous studies have linked poor sleep health to various ailments, including diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Research suggests that the quality of sleep during pregnancy may play a role in transmitting obesity risk from mother to child.

Rapid weight gain in infancy is a known risk factor for later obesity. Understanding the impacts of maternal sleep quality on early childhood growth could help alleviate future metabolic health issues.

Prior investigations have primarily been cross-sectional or focused on children older than two. Additionally, the relationship between sleep health during pregnancy and childhood obesity remains underexplored in Hispanic populations, which report higher rates of overweight and obesity than other groups.

In this study, researchers examined 645 mother-child pairs from the Maternal and Developmental Risks from Environmental and Social Stressors (MADRES) cohort in Los Angeles. Maternal sleep quality was assessed using the Jenkins Sleep Scale questionnaire, and children's height and weight were recorded during follow-up visits at the University of Southern California clinic.

While most mothers reported mild to moderate sleep disturbances, 26% experienced poor sleep quality. Infants of mothers who reported the worst sleep quality weighed less during the first six months but showed increased weight later on—at one year, the weight difference was 346.7 grams (12 ounces), and at 17 months, it reached 751.5 grams (1.7 pounds).

These findings highlight the necessity of preserving good sleep health during pregnancy. The associations seemed to stem from poor sleep in late pregnancy and were not influenced by other common prenatal and postnatal factors, such as child feeding practices.

Senior author Carrie V. Breton, MPH, Ph.D., at the Bursky School of Public Health, Washington University, posits that critical developmental exposures during pregnancy can program the health of offspring. Potential biological links include the impact of poor sleep on metabolic health and stress pathways that may elevate childhood obesity risks.

Lead author Xiaoran Yang, MPH, notes that poor sleep health during pregnancy is often ignored, suggesting that monitoring it could represent a significant step toward fostering healthier growth in future generations.