Parental obesity linked to delays in child development

Children of obese parents may be at risk for developmental delays, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health. Children of obese mothers were more likely to fail tests of fine motor skill — the ability to control movement of small muscles, such as those in the fingers and hands. Children of obese fathers were more likely to fail measures of social competence, and those born to extremely obese couples also were more likely to fail tests of problem solving ability.

Parental obesity linked to delays in child development. Image credit: Parenting Patch/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

This study is one of the few that also includes information about fathers, and our results suggest that dad’s weight also has significant influence on child development.

Compared to children of normal weight mothers, children of obese mothers were nearly 70 percent more likely to have failed the test indicator on fine motor skill by age 3.

Children of obese fathers were 75 percent more likely to fail the test’s personal-social domain — an indicator of how well they were able to relate to and interact with others by age 3.

Children with two obese parents were nearly three times more likely to fail the test’s problem solving section by age 3.

It is not known why parental obesity might increase children’s risk for developmental delay. The authors note that animal studies indicate that obesity during pregnancy may promote inflammation, which could affect the fetal brain.

Less information is available on the potential effects of paternal obesity on child development. The authors added that some studies have indicated that obesity could affect the expression of genes in sperm. (National Institutes of Health)

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