Associations between Paternal Anxiety and Infant Weight Gain
The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between parental anxiety (father-only, mother-only, or both) and infant weight change. We performed a secondary data analysis among 551 children in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a birth cohort with weight measurements colle...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-10-01
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| Series: | Children |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/8/11/977 |
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| author | Nobutoshi Nawa Angela C. B. Trude Maureen M. Black Lorenzo Richiardi Pamela J. Surkan |
| author_facet | Nobutoshi Nawa Angela C. B. Trude Maureen M. Black Lorenzo Richiardi Pamela J. Surkan |
| author_sort | Nobutoshi Nawa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between parental anxiety (father-only, mother-only, or both) and infant weight change. We performed a secondary data analysis among 551 children in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a birth cohort with weight measurements collected prospectively at 4, 8, and 12 months of age. Paternal and maternal anxiety symptoms were based on the eight-item anxiety subscale of the Crown-Crisp Experiential Index. Scores in the top 15% at 8 weeks postpartum were classified as high anxiety. Generalized Estimating Equations were employed to estimate the joint association between parental anxiety and change in child weight-for-age z-score. Children who had fathers, but not mothers, with anxiety showed a 0.15 (95% CI: 0.01, 0.29) greater increase in weight-for-age z-score than children with neither parent anxious. This result suggests that paternal anxiety, not maternal anxiety, was associated with increases in child weight gain in the first year of life. Public health practitioners and clinicians should consider the use of robust measures of both maternal and paternal anxiety in the postpartum period, in addition to the suggested screening for postpartum depression. Given the limitations of the study, this study should be considered preliminary and hypothesis generating. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:35:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d57e069d4722428daef4271bb6ce04e3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:35:48Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Children |
| spelling | doaj.art-d57e069d4722428daef4271bb6ce04e32023-11-22T22:54:43ZengMDPI AGChildren2227-90672021-10-0181197710.3390/children8110977Associations between Paternal Anxiety and Infant Weight GainNobutoshi Nawa0Angela C. B. Trude1Maureen M. Black2Lorenzo Richiardi3Pamela J. Surkan4Department of Global Health Promotion, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo 113-8519, JapanDepartment of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD 21201, USADepartment of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD 21201, USACancer Epidemiology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, CPO-Piemonte, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, ItalyDepartment of International Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USAThe aim of this study was to examine the relationship between parental anxiety (father-only, mother-only, or both) and infant weight change. We performed a secondary data analysis among 551 children in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a birth cohort with weight measurements collected prospectively at 4, 8, and 12 months of age. Paternal and maternal anxiety symptoms were based on the eight-item anxiety subscale of the Crown-Crisp Experiential Index. Scores in the top 15% at 8 weeks postpartum were classified as high anxiety. Generalized Estimating Equations were employed to estimate the joint association between parental anxiety and change in child weight-for-age z-score. Children who had fathers, but not mothers, with anxiety showed a 0.15 (95% CI: 0.01, 0.29) greater increase in weight-for-age z-score than children with neither parent anxious. This result suggests that paternal anxiety, not maternal anxiety, was associated with increases in child weight gain in the first year of life. Public health practitioners and clinicians should consider the use of robust measures of both maternal and paternal anxiety in the postpartum period, in addition to the suggested screening for postpartum depression. Given the limitations of the study, this study should be considered preliminary and hypothesis generating.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/8/11/977anxietypediatric obesitylongitudinal studies |
| spellingShingle | Nobutoshi Nawa Angela C. B. Trude Maureen M. Black Lorenzo Richiardi Pamela J. Surkan Associations between Paternal Anxiety and Infant Weight Gain Children anxiety pediatric obesity longitudinal studies |
| title | Associations between Paternal Anxiety and Infant Weight Gain |
| title_full | Associations between Paternal Anxiety and Infant Weight Gain |
| title_fullStr | Associations between Paternal Anxiety and Infant Weight Gain |
| title_full_unstemmed | Associations between Paternal Anxiety and Infant Weight Gain |
| title_short | Associations between Paternal Anxiety and Infant Weight Gain |
| title_sort | associations between paternal anxiety and infant weight gain |
| topic | anxiety pediatric obesity longitudinal studies |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/8/11/977 |
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