The contrasting effects of parental birthweight and gestational age on the birthweight of offspring

Investigations on intergenerational effects on birthweight have been carried out using the data of the 1958 British National Birthday Trust Fund cohort and its follow-up to 23 years, the National Child Development Study (NCDS-4), which included information on all births to cohort members by that age. This report is directed particularly at ascertaining the independent effect of parental gestational age on babies' birthweight. The two main findings are a direct association between parental and offspring birthweight (significant for both mothers and fathers after allowing for confounding factors), but an inverse association with parental gestational age (significant only for the mothers). It is postulated that at least part of this effect is mediated through the association between maternal fetal growth rate and their babies' birthweight; the faster the rate the shorter the gestational age for a given birthweight. It was not possible to ascertain what part genetic factors played in this relationship. Larger and more informative intergenerational studies are needed to further knowledge on this question.