The role of prenatal violence exposure in the development of disparities in children's adiposity from birth to middle childhood
Short Summary: This study investigated how women's exposure to different types of violence during childhood and pregnancy can affect their children's body mass index (BMI) over time. Findings showed that children whose mothers experienced more intimate partner violence during pregnancy, or lived in higher crime neighborhoods, were more likely to have a high-rising trajectory of BMI from birth to 8 years old. The results emphasize the intergenerational transmission of social adversity and its impact on children's physical health.
Scientific Abstract: Objective: This study examined whether women's exposure to multiple types of violence during childhood and pregnancy was associated with children's BMI trajectories and whether parenting quality moderated those associations. Methods: A cohort of 1288 women who gave birth between 2006 and 2011 self-reported their exposure to childhood traumatic events, intimate partner violence (IPV), and residential address (linked to geocoded index of violent crime) during pregnancy. Children's length/height and weight at birth and at age 1, 2, 3, 4 to 6, and 8 years were converted to BMI z scores. Observed mother–child interactions were behaviorally coded during a dyadic teaching task. Results: Covariate-adjusted growth mixture models identified three trajectories of children's BMI from birth to 8 years old: Low-Stable (17%), Moderate-Stable (59%), and High-Rising (22%). Children whose mothers experienced more types of IPV during pregnancy were more likely to be in the High-Rising than the Low-Stable (odds ratio [OR] = 2.62; 95% CI: 1.27–5.41) trajectory. Children whose mothers lived in higher crime neighborhoods were more likely to be in the High-Rising than the Low-Stable (OR = 1.11; 95% CI:1.03–1.17) or Moderate-Stable trajectories (OR = 1.08; CI: 1.03–1.13). Main effects of childhood traumatic events and moderation by parenting were not detected. Conclusions: Maternal experiences of violence during pregnancy increase children's risk for developing overweight, highlighting intergenerational transmission of social adversity in children's health.
Authors: Kristen L. Rudd, Qi Zhao, Nadra E. Lisha, J. Carolyn Graff, Amanda Norona-Zhou, Danielle S. Roubinov, Emily S. Barrett, Paul Juarez, Kecia N. Carroll, Catherine J. Karr, Sheela Sathyanarayana, W. Alex Mason, Kaja Z. LeWinn, Nicole R. Bush