Prenatal Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Body Mass Index Trajectories in Childhood: Application of Multiphase Growth Mixture Models across the ECHO Cohort
Abstract We examined the associations of prenatal per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) exposures with body mass index (BMI) trajectories and growth parameters in the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes Cohort. Maternal PFAS concentrations (perfluorohexanesulfonic acid [PFHxS], perfluorooctanesulfonic acid [PFOS], perfluorooctanoic acid [PFOA], perfluorononanoic acid [PFNA], perfluorodecanoic acid [PFDA], perfluoroundecanoic acid [PFUnDA], and N-methyl perfluorooctane sulfonamidoacetic acid [NMFOSAA]) were measured in serum or plasma during pregnancy. BMI trajectories and growth parameters were estimated using multiphase growth mixture modeling. Among 1,125 children ages 1–9.5 years, we identified a typical BMI trajectory (n = 998, 89%; reference group) and an atypical BMI trajectory characterized by early and rapid BMI increases (n = 127, 11%). Maternal PFOA (adjusted risk ratio [RR] = 1.22 per doubling; 95% CI = 1.05–1.41) and PFOS (adjusted RR = 1.14; 95% CI = 0.99–1.32) concentrations were associated with a higher risk of atypical trajectory membership. A doubling in maternal PFOA concentrations was associated with an earlier age at adiposity rebound by 19 (95% CI = 4–33) days. Other PFAS concentrations were not significantly associated with the atypical trajectory or adiposity rebound. In this pooled cohort study, higher prenatal exposure to certain PFAS was associated with a greater risk of an obesity-related growth trajectory and earlier adiposity rebound.
Authors
- D C Wallace
- Megan E. Romano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4932-2492)
- Abby F. Fleisch (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2789-6412)
- Anne P. Starling (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6638-8314)
- Assiamira M. Ferrara (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7505-4826)
- Tracey J. Woodruff (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3622-1297)
- Jody M. Ganiban (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5908-6644)
- Gyeyoon Yim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8923-9485)
- Margaret Rita Karagas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6398-7362)
- Jessie Poulin Buckley (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7976-0157)
- Caitlin G. Howe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4935-9298)
- Taylor Etzel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0691-161X)
- Anne Lang Dunlop (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5092-8136)
- Mingyu Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3628-0983)
- Dana Dabelea (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9514-8929)
- Chang Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5040-3850)
- Joseph M. Braun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5239-3235)
- Emily Oken (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2513-3339)
- Susan L. Schantz
- Adaeze W. Nzegwu
- Sarah D. Geiger
- ECHO Cohort Consortium
- Lida Chatzi
- Xuan Li
Institutions
- Dartmouth College (US)
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
- University of Southern California (US)
- Harvard University (US)
- Johns Hopkins University (US)
- Emory University (US)
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US)
- George Washington University (US)
- Brown University (US)
- University of California System (US)
- MaineHealth (US)
- Harvard Pilgrim Health Care (US)
- Kaiser Permanente Northern California (US)
- University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (US)
- Washington State University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Environmental Science & Technology
- Published
- 2026-11-09
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6c04951
- Primary Topic
- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00