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Poster Session 3

(736) The Rate of Weight Gain During Pregnancy and Newborn Head Circumference

Friday, January 31, 2025
10:30 AM – 12:30 PM  

    Submitting Author and Presenting Author(s)

  • Danruo Zhong, PhD (she/her/hers)

    Research scientist
    Columbia University Irving Medical Center
    New York, New York, United States

    • Coauthor(s)

  • GL

    Grace Liu, MA

    Data manager
    Columbia University Irving Medical Center
    New York, New York, United States

  • KJ

    Khadija R. Jones, MPH

    Clinical Research Manager
    Columbia University Irving Medical Center
    New York, New York, United States

  • EW

    Elizabeth Werner, PhD

    Assistant professor
    Columbia University Irving Medical Center
    New York, New York, United States

  • Catherine E. Monk, PhD

    Professor
    Columbia University Irving Medical Center
    New York, New York, United States

Objective: Weight during pregnancy, a marker of gestational biology and maternal health, has been related to neonatal outcomes. However, no study has examined the effects of the rate of weight gain during pregnancy on newborn head circumference, an early indicator of children’s neurodevelopment (e.g., autism spectrum disorder). In this study, we aim to examine the association between the initial level and the rate of body mass index (BMI) change during pregnancy and newborn head circumference.

Study Design:

This is a secondary data analysis from the Prenatal Stress: The Epigenetic Basis of Maternal and Perinatal Effects Study. From n=187 pregnant participants (MAge = 29.64; SDAge = 6.24), BMI in pregnancy was collected three times at gestational week 15, 25, and 35, respectively. Newborn head circumference, gestational age at birth, and sex were abstracted from the medical record. We hypothesized that BMI intercept (from 15 weeks) and slope would be positively associated with newborn head circumference.   

A latent growth curve model (LGCM) was used to delineate the trajectories of mothers’ BMI across three assessments, treating the intercept (BMI at 15 weeks) and the slope (rate of BMI change) as two latent variables. Additionally, a structural equation model (SEM) was built, predicting newborn head circumference from the intercept and the slope of BMI while controlling for mother’s age, newborn gestational age at birth and sex.

Results: Sample characteristics are shown in Table 1. Pregnant individuals’ BMI intercept (B = 1.27, p < .05) and slope across three assessments (B = 1.19, p < .05) were positively associated with newborn head circumference (Figure 1).

Conclusion: Individuals’ BMI at the start of the 2nd trimester and its rate of change throughout the 2nd and 3rd trimesters were positively associated with newborn head circumference. These findings suggested that the rate of gestational weight gain, in addition to weight status, may play an important role in influencing infant growth and future health.