Developing a Core Outcome Set for Childhood Evaluation on Preconception and Antenatal Intervention Strategies for the Prevention of Childhood Obesity (COS-PEACH)

Childhood obesity is becoming a major global health concern. Obesity during childhood increases the risk of continuing into adulthood, with lasting physical and psychological effects. Preventing obesity early is crucial, as factors like maternal obesity, weight gain during pregnancy, and gestational diabetes can increase the risk of childhood obesity. While lifestyle changes during pregnancy may help address these factors, their long-term effects on childhood obesity are not yet clear.A recent review couldn't determine how effective antenatal interventions were in preventing childhood obesity because the outcomes of different studies were too heterogenous. Additionally, a meta-analysis of six studies found no significant effect of maternal dietary or lifestyle changes during pregnancy on childhood obesity at ages 3-5. However, some important measures were left out of the analysis due to differences in how studies defined obesity outcomes. This shows the need for a standardized set of outcomes to evalaute childhood obesity following preconception and antenatal lifestyle interventions.Although COS exist for maternal, fetal, and neonatal outcomes, and for early childhood obesity interventions, no COS has been developed for long-term childhood outcomes after preconception or antenatal lifestyle interventions aimed at reducing childhood obesity. Creating a COS for long-term childhood outcomes will improve the quality of studies, help better assess interventions, and allow for easier comparisons between studies. Ultimately, this will support efforts to reduce childhood obesity and its associated health risks.To develop this COS, a scoping review, Delphi study, and consensus meeting will be conducted to identify the most important childhood outcomes. Standardizing these outcomes will improve how they are measured, reported, and compared across studies, leading to more effective strategies for preventing childhood obesity.Funding: The Centre for Childhood Health grant no: 2024_F_014