ArticlePloS one2019
Caesarean section delivery and childhood obesity in a British longitudinal cohort study.
Article in PloS one, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 25 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effect of Elective Cesarean Section on Children's Obesity From Birth to Adolescence: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2021Pooled it
- Pediatrics Consequences of Caesarean Section-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Pooled it
- Factors Associated with Growth and Weight Status in Indigenous Children Under 5 Years of Age in Northeastern Brazil.Maternal and child health journal · 2026Article
- Examining the Impact of Preconception Physical Activity on Offspring Outcomes Linked to Obesity.Current obesity reports · 2026Review
- Relationship Between Type of Delivery and Growth Trajectory in the First Year of Life: The Araraquara Cohort Study.American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council · 2025Article
- Trajectories of brain and behaviour development in the womb, at birth and through infancy.Nature human behaviour · 2024Review
- Association of child weight with attendance at a healthy lifestyle service among women with obesity during pregnancy.Maternal & child nutrition · 2024Article
- Article
- Caesarean section and childhood obesity at age 3 years derived from the Japan Environment and Children's Study.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Crucial nuances in understanding (mis)associations between the neonatal microbiome and Cesarean delivery.Trends in molecular medicine · 2022Review
- Relationship between Obstetric Mode of Delivery and Risk of Overweight/Obesity in 1- to 4-Year-Old Children.Obesity facts · 2022Article
- Are there adverse outcomes for child health and development following caesarean section delivery? Can we justify using elective caesarean section to prevent obstetric pelvic floor damage?International urogynecology journal · 2021Review
- The Possible Contribution of being Born by Cesarean Section to Developing Childhood Overweight and Obesity in Later Life.Revista brasileira de ginecologia e obstetricia : revista da Federacao Brasileira das Sociedades de Ginecologia e Obstetricia · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSeveral studies reported an association between Caesarean section (CS) birth and childhood obesity. However, there are several limitations in the current literature. These include an inability to distinguish between planned and emergency CS, small study sample sizes and not adjusting for pre-pregnancy body-mass-index (BMI). We examined the association between CS delivery and childhood obesity using the United Kingdom Millennium Cohort Study (MCS).
methodsMother-infant pairs were recruited into the MCS. Use of sampling weights ensured the sample was representative of the population. The exposure was categorised as normal vaginal delivery (VD) [reference], assisted VD, planned CS and emergency CS. Childhood obesity prevalence, at age three, five, seven, eleven and fourteen years was calculated using the International Obesity Taskforce criteria. Mixed-effects linear regression models were fitted with associations adjusted for several potential confounders like maternal age, pre-pregnancy BMI, education and infant macrosomia. Linear regression models were fitted evaluating body fat percentage (BF%), at age seven and fourteen years.
resultsOf the 18,116 infants, 3872 (21.4%) were delivered by CS; 9.2% by planned CS. Obesity prevalence was 5.4%, 5.7%, 6.5%, 7.1% and 7.6% at age three, five, seven, eleven and fourteen years respectively. The mixed-effects linear regression model showed no association between planned (adjusted mean difference = 0.00; [95% confidence interval (CI) -0.10; 0.10], p-value = 0.97) or emergency CS (adjusted mean difference = 0.08; [95% CI -0.01; 0.17], p-value = 0.09) and child BMI. At age seven years, there was no association between planned CS and BF% (adjusted mean difference = 0.13; [95% CI -0.23; 0.49]); there was no association at age fourteen years.
conclusionsInfants born by planned CS did not have a significantly higher BMI or BF% compared to those born by normal VD. This may suggest that the association, described in the literature, could be due to the indications/reasons for CS birth or residual confounding.
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