Skip to content

Birth outcomes in relation to neighborhood food access and individual food insecurity during pregnancy in the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO)-wide cohort study

Limited access to healthy foods, resulting from residence in neighborhoods with low-food access or from household food insecurity, is a public health concern. Contributions of these measures during pregnancy to birth outcomes remain understudied. We examined associations between neighborhood food…

Read more

Prevalence of maternal hyperglycemic subtypes by race/ethnicity and associations between these subtypes with adverse pregnancy outcomes: Findings from a large retrospective multi-ethnic cohort in the United States

With the two-step gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) screening approach, hyperglycemic subtypes can be identified. We aimed to investigate racial/ethnic differences in the prevalence of hyperglycemic subtypes and to examine the associations between these subtypes and adverse pregnancy outcomes. In this…

Read more

Elucidating the High and Heterogenous Risk of Gestational Diabetes among Asian Americans: An Integrative Approach of Metabolomics, Lifestyles and Social Determinants

This study will leverage the California Alpha-fetoprotein Screening Program (CA-AFSP) and the Pregnancy Environment and Lifestyle Study (PETALS) to identify metabolites and pathways among Asian American racial/ethnic subpopulations with gestational diabetes in the CA-AFSP discovery set; validate the shared and…

Read more

Metabolomic data presents challenges for epidemiological meta-analysis: a case study of childhood body mass index from the ECHO consortium

Meta-analyses across diverse independent studies provide improved confidence in results. However, within the context of metabolomic epidemiology, meta-analysis investigations are complicated by differences in study design, data acquisition, and other factors that may impact reproducibility. The objective of this study…

Read more

Gestational diabetes mellitus and risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in young offspring: does the risk differ by race and ethnicity?

Previous studies examined the associations of gestational diabetes mellitus with autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. However, the associations between gestational diabetes mellitus and other neurodevelopmental disorders, such as the common speech/language disorder and developmental coordination disorder, are…

Read more

Associations of Organophosphate Ester Flame Retardant Exposures during Pregnancy with Gestational Duration and Fetal Growth: The Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program

Widespread exposure to organophosphate ester (OPE) flame retardants with potential reproductive toxicity raises concern regarding the impacts of gestational exposure on birth outcomes. Previous studies of prenatal OPE exposure and birth outcomes had limited sample sizes, with inconclusive results. We…

Read more

Longitudinal lipidomic profiles during pregnancy and associations with neonatal anthropometry: findings from a multiracial cohort

Maternal lipidomic profiling offers promise for characterizing lipid metabolites during pregnancy, but longitudinal data are limited. This study aimed to examine associations of longitudinal lipidomic profiles during pregnancy with multiple neonatal anthropometry using data from a multiracial cohort. We measured…

Read more

Intrinsic motivation for physical activity, healthy eating, and self-weighing in association with corresponding behaviors in early pregnancy

Healthy lifestyle behaviors influence maternal cardiovascular health, but motivation for them in pregnancy is poorly understood. We examined whether intrinsic motivation (assessed on 5-point scales for each behavior) is associated with three lifestyle behaviors in early pregnancy: physical activity, by…

Read more

Opportunities for Examining Child Health Impacts of Early-Life Nutrition in the ECHO Program: Maternal and Child Dietary Intake Data from Pregnancy to Adolescence

Longitudinal measures of diet spanning pregnancy through adolescence are needed from a large, diverse sample to advance research on the effect of early-life nutrition on child health. The Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program, which includes 69 cohorts,…

Read more

PFAS concentrations in early and mid-pregnancy and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus in a nested case-control study within the ethnically and racially diverse PETALS cohort

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent synthetic chemicals and are commonly found in everyday items. PFAS have been linked to disrupting glucose homeostasis, however, whether they are associated with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) risk remains inconclusive. We examined prospective…

Read more

Prenatal depression and risk of child autism-related traits among participants in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes program

This study evaluated the association between prenatal depression and offspring autism-related traits. The sample comprised 33 prenatal/pediatric cohorts participating in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes program who contributed information on prenatal depression and autism-related traits. Autism-related traits were…

Read more

Birth Outcomes in Relation to Prenatal Exposure to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Stress in the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent and ubiquitous chemicals associated with risk of adverse birth outcomes. Results of previous studies have been inconsistent. Associations between PFAS and birth outcomes may be affected by psychosocial stress. We estimated risk of…

Read more

Physical activity and individual plasma phospholipid saturated fatty acids in pregnancy, a longitudinal study among a multiracial/multiethnic cohort in the United States

Circulating individual SFAs in pregnant females are critical for maternal and fetal health. However, research on identifying their modifiable factors is limited. We aimed to examine the associations of total physical activity (PA) and types of PA with circulating individual…

Read more

Associations of Neighborhood Opportunity and Social Vulnerability With Trajectories of Childhood Body Mass Index and Obesity Among US Children

Physical and social neighborhood attributes may have implications for children's growth and development patterns. The extent to which these attributes are associated with body mass index (BMI) trajectories and obesity risk from childhood to adolescence remains understudied. To examine associations…

Read more

Plasma Phospholipids Monounsaturated Fatty Acids and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: a Longitudinal Study in the NICHD Fetal Growth Studies-Singleton Cohort

Fatty acids (FAs) have been implicated in the development of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), but the role of monounsaturated FAs (MUFAs) remains understudied. We investigated the associations of plasma phospholipid MUFAs in early to mid-pregnancy with cardiometabolic biomarkers and GDM…

Read more

Urinary Phenols in Early to Mid-Pregnancy and Risk of Gestational Diabetes: A Longitudinal Study in a Multiracial Cohort

Environmental phenols are ubiquitous endocrine disruptors and putatively diabetogenic. However, data during pregnancy are scant. We investigated the prospective associations between pregnancy phenol concentrations and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) risk. In a nested matched case-control study of 111 individuals with…

Read more

Association between Quality of Maternal Prenatal Food Source and Preparation and Breastfeeding Duration in the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcome (ECHO) Program

This study examined the relationship between maternal food source and preparation during pregnancy and the duration of breastfeeding among 751 mother-child dyads in the United States. The data collected from the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program included…

Read more

Gestational diabetes mellitus, prenatal maternal depression, and risk for postpartum depression: an Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Study

Prior research has demonstrated bidirectional associations between gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and perinatal maternal depression. However, the association between GDM, prenatal depression, and postpartum depression (PPD) has not been examined in a prospective cohort longitudinally. Participants in the current analysis…

Read more

Development and validation of prediction models for gestational diabetes treatment modality using supervised machine learning: a population-based cohort study

Gestational diabetes (GDM) is prevalent and benefits from timely and effective treatment, given the short window to impact glycemic control. Clinicians face major barriers to choosing effectively among treatment modalities [medical nutrition therapy (MNT) with or without pharmacologic treatment (antidiabetic…

Read more

Glycemic Control Trajectories and Risk of Perinatal Complications Among Individuals With Gestational Diabetes

Glycemic control is the cornerstone of gestational diabetes management. Glycemic control trajectories account for differences in longitudinal patterns throughout pregnancy; however, studies on glycemic control trajectories are scarce. To examine whether glycemic control trajectories from gestational diabetes diagnosis to delivery…

Read more

Uptake of guideline-recommended postpartum diabetes screening among diverse women with gestational diabetes: associations with patient factors in an integrated health system in USA

Clinical guidelines urge timely postpartum screening for diabetes among women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), yet patient factors associated with screening uptake remain unclear. We aimed to identify patient factors associated with completed postpartum diabetes screening (2-hour oral glucose tolerance…

Read more

Longitudinal Associations of Plasma Phospholipid Fatty Acids in Pregnancy with Neonatal Anthropometry: Results from the NICHD Fetal Growth Studies-Singleton Cohort

Despite increasing interest in the health effects of polyunsaturated FAs (PUFAs), their roles in fetal and neonatal growth remain understudied. Within the NICHD Fetal Growth Studies-Singleton Cohort, we prospectively investigated the associations of individual and subclasses of plasma phospholipid PUFAs…

Read more

Contributions of COVID-19 Pandemic-Related Stressors to Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Mental Health During Pregnancy

This study aimed to identify racial and ethnic disparities in prenatal mental health and identify COVID-19 pandemic-related health/healthcare and economic contributors to these disparities, using an established framework for disparity investigation. This cross-sectional study includes 10,930 pregnant people at Kaiser…

Read more

Plasma Acylcarnitines during Pregnancy and Neonatal Anthropometry: A Longitudinal Study in a Multiracial Cohort

As surrogate readouts reflecting mitochondrial dysfunction, elevated levels of plasma acylcarnitines have been associated with cardiometabolic disorders, such as obesity, gestational diabetes, and type 2 diabetes. This study aimed to examine prospective associations of acylcarnitine profiles across gestation with neonatal…

Read more

Plasma Phospholipid n-3/n-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Desaturase Activities in Relation to Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity through Pregnancy: A Longitudinal Study within the NICHD Fetal Growth Studies

Maternal plasma phospholipid polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) play critical roles in maternal health and fetal development. Beyond dietary factors, maternal moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) has been linked to multiple health benefits for both the mother and offspring, but studies investigating…

Read more

Racial/Ethnic Disparities in the Prevalence of Diabetes and Prediabetes by BMI: Patient Outcomes Research To Advance Learning (PORTAL) Multisite Cohort of Adults in the U.S

To examine racial/ethnic disparities in the prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes by BMI category. In a consortium of three U.S. integrated health care systems, 4,906,238 individuals aged ≥20 years during 2012-2013 were included. Diabetes and prediabetes were ascertained by diagnosis…

Read more

Plasma phospholipid n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in relation to cardiometabolic markers and gestational diabetes: A longitudinal study within the prospective NICHD Fetal Growth Studies

Despite dietary recommendations of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) for cardiometabolic health, n-3 and n-6 PUFAs and their interplay in relation to diabetes risk remain debated. Importantly, data among pregnant women are scarce. We investigated individual plasma phospholipid n-3 and n-6…

Read more

A prospective and longitudinal study of plasma phospholipid saturated fatty acid profile in relation to cardiometabolic biomarkers and the risk of gestational diabetes

Data on saturated fatty acids (SFAs) in relation to metabolic function and glucose homeostasis remain controversial. Such data are lacking among pregnant women. We prospectively investigated objectively measured individual and subclasses of plasma phospholipid SFAs throughout pregnancy in relation to…

Read more

Maternal dietary intakes of refined grains during pregnancy and growth through the first 7 y of life among children born to women with gestational diabetes

Background: Refined grains, a major source of dietary carbohydrates, have been related to impaired glucose homeostasis and obesity. Emerging animal data suggest that in utero exposure to dietary refined carbohydrates may predispose offspring to an obese phenotype, indicating a potential…

Read more

Maternal consumption of artificially sweetened beverages during pregnancy, and offspring growth through 7 years of age: a prospective cohort study

Artificial sweeteners are widely replacing caloric sweeteners. Data on long-term impact of artificially sweetened beverage (ASB) consumption during pregnancy on offspring obesity risk are lacking. We prospectively investigated intake of ASBs and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) during pregnancy in relation to…

Read more

​A longitudinal study of sleep duration in pregnancy and subsequent risk of gestational diabetes: findings from a prospective, multiracial cohort.

BACKGROUND: Both short and prolonged sleep duration have been linked to impaired glucose metabolism. Sleep patterns change during pregnancy, but prospective data are limited on their relation to gestational diabetes.OBJECTIVE: We sought to prospectively examine the trimester-specific (first and second…

Read more

​A longitudinal study of iron status during pregnancy and the risk of gestational diabetes: findings from a prospective, multiracial cohort.

​AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The aim of this study was to prospectively and longitudinally investigate maternal iron status during early to mid-pregnancy, and subsequent risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), using a comprehensive panel of conventional and novel iron biomarkers.METHODS: A case-control study…

Read more

​​Growth and obesity through the first 7 years of life in association with levels of maternal glycemia during pregnancy: a prospective cohort study

​BACKGROUND: Given the long-term adverse sequelae of childhood obesity, identification of early life factors related to fetal growth and childhood obesity is warranted. Investigation on growth and obesity in early life in association with intrauterine exposure to maternal hyperglycemia, a…

Read more

Longer breastfeeding duration reduces the positive relationships among gestational weight gain, birth weight and childhood anthropometrics.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between gestational weight gain (GWG) and childhood growth remains controversial. An examination on whether infant feeding practices mediate this relationship may improve our understanding of it. METHODS: We investigated whether the relationships among GWG, birth weight and…

Read more
Back To Top