The Benefits of Early Treatment and Prevention of Childhood Obesity
The Benefits of Early Treatment and Prevention of Childhood Obesity in Offspring Whose Mothers Were Diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes: An Integrative Review
Presenter: Sara Berky, UNC Charlotte School of Nursing Collaborators: Michaela Hadad, Dana Kuprane, Thais McCoy, and Sally Warren
Faculty: Dr. Florence Okoro
Abstract:
Purpose. An integrative review of the literature was conducted to determine if offspring born to mothers who are diagnosed with gestational diabetes (GDM) are at an increased risk for childhood obesity (CO) between the ages of 0-6 years old as compared to offspring of mothers that were not diagnosed with GDM.
Background. CO has become a serious health concern worldwide that leads to an array of metabolic conditions. This literature review aimed to determine if GDM is a direct cause of CO between the ages of zero to six years of life. Prior literature has used other factors such as maternal body mass index (BMI), familial lifestyle, socioeconomic status, and paternal factors. This review of literature focused solely on GDM and the outcomes of CO.
Methods. An integrative review of literature was conducted that screened 793 articles and fifteen (15) pieces of literature were utilized between the years 2018-2023 for the purposes of this review. Of the articles utilized, one was quantitative, and one was qualitative, one meta- analysis, one case-controlled study, one randomized controlled trial, and ten cohort studies. Results. Analysis of the literature revealed a strong correlation between GDM and CO in children aged zero to six years in mothers who were diagnosed with GDM between twenty-four (24) and thirty-one (31) weeks gestation. More studies should be conducted to better support this correlation. Researchers believe there are other maternal factors that could impact CO in early years.
Conclusion. This review of literature found evidence that GDM does cause early childhood obesity.
Keywords. Gestational diabetes (GDM), childhood obesity (CO), body mass index (BMI), pediatric obesity, offspring obesity.