Antenatal Determinants of Childhood Obesity in High-Risk Offspring: Protocol for the DiGest Follow-Up Study
Publication: Nutrients
Danielle Jones, Emanuella De Lucia Rolfe, Kirsten L. Rennie, Linda M. Oude Griep, Laura C. Kusinski, Deborah J. Hughes, Soren Brage, Ken K. Ong, Kathryn Beardsall, Claire L. Meek
31 March 2021
Summary
Around 5-10% of pregnant women in the UK develop gestational diabetes, which arises during pregnancy and typically resolves after delivery. Mothers with gestational diabetes are at greater risk of diabetes in later life, and their babies are also more likely to develop short-term and long-term health complications.
Preventing childhood obesity is really important, and yet, we still have an incomplete understanding about why and how obesity develops in early life. The aim of this study is to assess pregnancy and early postnatal factors which contribute to maternal and child obesity after gestational diabetes, and to identify if a reduced-calorie diet in pregnancy can reduced these risks.
This paper outlines our plans to follow-up mothers and babies after gestational diabetes, who participated in our DiGest trial. Researchers will collect information about changes in weight in mothers and babies for 3 years following birth and will also assess the importance of infant feeding, early life growth, maternal diet and physical activity upon weight and glucose tolerance.
