Maternal body mass index and child haemoglobin: A national cross-sectional study in Peru

BACKGROUND: Childhood anaemia remains a major public health problem in Peru. Although several maternal and environmental factors have been implicated, the association between maternal body mass index (BMI) and anaemia in young children remains inconsistent. This study aimed to evaluate the associati...

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Autores principales: Arnold F. Julca Avalos, Jeniffer K. Pastor Aponte, Victor Ramos Berrocal, David R. Soriano‐Moreno
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Publicado: 2026
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author Arnold F. Julca Avalos
Jeniffer K. Pastor Aponte
Victor Ramos Berrocal
David R. Soriano‐Moreno
author_browse Arnold F. Julca Avalos
David R. Soriano‐Moreno
Jeniffer K. Pastor Aponte
Victor Ramos Berrocal
author_facet Arnold F. Julca Avalos
Jeniffer K. Pastor Aponte
Victor Ramos Berrocal
David R. Soriano‐Moreno
author_sort Arnold F. Julca Avalos
collection Producción científica
description BACKGROUND: Childhood anaemia remains a major public health problem in Peru. Although several maternal and environmental factors have been implicated, the association between maternal body mass index (BMI) and anaemia in young children remains inconsistent. This study aimed to evaluate the association between maternal BMI and both anaemia and haemoglobin levels in children aged 6-59 months in Peru. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional analytical study using data from the 2024 Peruvian Demographic and Family Health Survey. Children aged 6-59 months and their mothers were included. Maternal BMI was the exposure variable, while childhood anaemia and haemoglobin concentration were the outcomes. Poisson regression was used to estimate prevalence ratios for anaemia, and linear regression models were applied to assess associations with haemoglobin levels. RESULTS: A total of 16,973 children were analysed. In adjusted analyses, maternal BMI categories were not associated with anaemia prevalence. However, maternal obesity, compared to normal weight, was associated with higher haemoglobin levels in children (adjusted β 0.72 g/dL; 95% CI 0.23 to 1.22). Additionally, each 1 kg/m2 increase in maternal BMI was associated with a 0.07 g/dL increase in child haemoglobin (adjusted β 0.07; 95% CI 0.03 to 0.11). CONCLUSION: Maternal body mass index was not associated with the prevalence of anaemia, although a positive association was observed with child haemoglobin levels. These findings support the inclusion of maternal nutritional status within comprehensive anaemia prevention strategies and highlight the need for longitudinal studies to confirm these associations.
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spelling openalex:W7214312816Maternal body mass index and child haemoglobin: A national cross-sectional study in PeruArnold F. Julca AvalosJeniffer K. Pastor AponteVictor Ramos BerrocalDavid R. Soriano‐Morenomaternal body mass indexchildhood anemiamaternal obesitymaternal nutritional statusanemia preventionPeruchildren aged 6-59 monthsIron Metabolism and DisordersChild Nutrition and Water AccessPublic Health and NutritionBACKGROUND: Childhood anaemia remains a major public health problem in Peru. Although several maternal and environmental factors have been implicated, the association between maternal body mass index (BMI) and anaemia in young children remains inconsistent. This study aimed to evaluate the association between maternal BMI and both anaemia and haemoglobin levels in children aged 6-59 months in Peru. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional analytical study using data from the 2024 Peruvian Demographic and Family Health Survey. Children aged 6-59 months and their mothers were included. Maternal BMI was the exposure variable, while childhood anaemia and haemoglobin concentration were the outcomes. Poisson regression was used to estimate prevalence ratios for anaemia, and linear regression models were applied to assess associations with haemoglobin levels. RESULTS: A total of 16,973 children were analysed. In adjusted analyses, maternal BMI categories were not associated with anaemia prevalence. However, maternal obesity, compared to normal weight, was associated with higher haemoglobin levels in children (adjusted β 0.72 g/dL; 95% CI 0.23 to 1.22). Additionally, each 1 kg/m2 increase in maternal BMI was associated with a 0.07 g/dL increase in child haemoglobin (adjusted β 0.07; 95% CI 0.03 to 0.11). CONCLUSION: Maternal body mass index was not associated with the prevalence of anaemia, although a positive association was observed with child haemoglobin levels. These findings support the inclusion of maternal nutritional status within comprehensive anaemia prevention strategies and highlight the need for longitudinal studies to confirm these associations.Articlehttps://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0359236https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0359236&type=printableW7214312816enPLoS ONE1932-62032026-09-25
spellingShingle maternal body mass index
childhood anemia
maternal obesity
maternal nutritional status
anemia prevention
Peru
children aged 6-59 months
Iron Metabolism and Disorders
Child Nutrition and Water Access
Public Health and Nutrition
Arnold F. Julca Avalos
Jeniffer K. Pastor Aponte
Victor Ramos Berrocal
David R. Soriano‐Moreno
Maternal body mass index and child haemoglobin: A national cross-sectional study in Peru
title Maternal body mass index and child haemoglobin: A national cross-sectional study in Peru
title_full Maternal body mass index and child haemoglobin: A national cross-sectional study in Peru
title_fullStr Maternal body mass index and child haemoglobin: A national cross-sectional study in Peru
title_full_unstemmed Maternal body mass index and child haemoglobin: A national cross-sectional study in Peru
title_short Maternal body mass index and child haemoglobin: A national cross-sectional study in Peru
title_sort maternal body mass index and child haemoglobin a national cross sectional study in peru
topic maternal body mass index
childhood anemia
maternal obesity
maternal nutritional status
anemia prevention
Peru
children aged 6-59 months
Iron Metabolism and Disorders
Child Nutrition and Water Access
Public Health and Nutrition
topic_facet maternal body mass index
childhood anemia
maternal obesity
maternal nutritional status
anemia prevention
Peru
children aged 6-59 months
Iron Metabolism and Disorders
Child Nutrition and Water Access
Public Health and Nutrition
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0359236
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0359236&type=printable
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