Multigenerational transmission of obesity: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract

There is a strong link between parental and offspring obesity status. However, the state of epidemiological evidence on multigenerational transmission of overweight/ obesity, such as from grandparents to grandchildren, is relatively unknown. This systematic review collates and appraises existing evidence on multigenerational transmission of overweight/obesity and uses meta-analytic estimates for quantitative synthesis. Six electronic databases were searched for publications reporting the relationship between grandparents and their grandchildren overweight/obesity status.A total of 25 studies from 17 countries with a combined population of 238,771 study participants met the inclusion criteria. About 60% (15) of the reviewed studies reported a positive association between grandparent-grandchild (GP-GC) overweight/ obesity, out of which 11 were statistically significant. Seven studies reported odds ratios of GP-GC overweight/obesity associations and were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled estimates showed a significant GP-GC association in overweight/obesity status (odds ratio [OR]: 1.79, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01-2.57). Thus, the current research evidence shows that grandchildren's overweight/obesity status is associated with their grandparents' overweight/obesity status, indicating a multigenerational transmission of obesity. However, more studies, especially from developing countries, are required to assess the robustness of these findings. Future studies should also focus on the mechanisms through which this transmission occurs.

Obesity in childhood: associations with parental neglect, nutritional habits, and obesity awareness

“…For instance, in the study, the presence of obesity in the family was found to be one of the factors that predicted obesity in children. This finding is also in line with the meta-analysis findings in the literature ( 67 , 68 ). On the other hand, in a study involving 3,963 children and parents, Savaşhan et al ( 69 ) found that 64.9% of parents of obese children were pleased with their child’s weight.…”

The developmental origins of health and disease and intergenerational inheritance: a scoping review of multigenerational cohort studies

“…There were also studies claimed that grandparents' obesity condition might have an impact on grandchildren's obesity either directly by grandparents to shape grandchildren's behavioral decisions or indirectly by their parents. 54,55 Golding et al demonstrated that when both grandmother and mother had smoked, compared to mothers who had not smoked, the smoking ones' female descendant had declined in height, weight, and fat/ lean/bone mass. 56 And the Framingham Heart Study demonstrated that grandparents who had hypertension in early life could increase the hypertension risk among grandchildren after adjusting for parental confounding factors.…”

The impact of excessive maternal weight on the risk of neuropsychiatric disorders in offspring—a narrative review of clinical studies

“…The number of papers investigating the issue of inadequate maternal BMI and its consequences in children clearly indicates that this topic has gained interest. The issue of parental obesity may be of even greater public health concern as there are animal studies [ 12 , 60 ] and epidemiological studies [ 61 ] reporting multi-generational adverse effects of excess body weight. Most of the data confirms significant adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in children caused by MOv/MOb and/or excessive GWG.…”