2024-04-08 19:35:21
A Norwegian study reported that females going through a difficult and harsh childhood exposes them to the risk of obesity in adulthood, especially during pregnancy.
The researchers explained that exposure to bullying during childhood, and lack of support and safe relationships, are also linked to weight gain after puberty, according to results published, Thursday, in the journal “Reproductive Health.”
The study focused on the relationship between childhood experiences and excess weight during pregnancy, by following up 6,679 pregnant women in Norway.
The women being followed answered a simple question: How would they describe their childhood, giving a score on a scale from very good to very bad. They also underwent clinical examinations and weight measurements.
The researchers found that the more women weighed, the more likely they were to rate their childhood as bad.
Women told different stories, and many of them attributed their weight gain to unmet basic needs during childhood.
Some reported that they did not have access to healthy, nutritious food so that they could gain weight normally, that their parents or peers did not meet their needs for support and safe relationships, or that they were excluded and bullied throughout much of their childhood.
For her part, the lead researcher of the study at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Heidi Sandster, said, “The study revealed that the more a woman weighs, the more likely she is to describe her childhood as bad.”
She added, “Excess weight increases the risk of complications during pregnancy and childbirth. In particular, excess weight increases the risk of preeclampsia and gestational diabetes; Therefore, overweight women are advised to reduce their weight during pregnancy.”
Regarding the importance of the results, she explained that health care providers can help reduce these risks by understanding the basic factors that affect women’s weight, including a difficult childhood, to provide them with positive guidance.
She pointed out that “the follow-up that pregnant women receive can also focus on promoting health and providing guidance about diet, and it can be an opportunity to determine the reasons behind weight gain, to help reduce the risks to the mother and child in the future, as the mother’s excess weight can also “It affects the fetus and increases its chances of developing future health problems such as obesity and diabetes.”
Last updated: April 6, 2024 – 02:26
Suggest a correction
2024-04-08 19:35:21