Children of obese parents may be at risk for developmental delays, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health. The investigators found that children of obese mothers were more likely to fail tests of fine motor skill — the ability to control movement of small muscles, such as those in the fingers and hands. Children of obese fathers were more likely to fail measures of social competence, and those born to extremely obese couples also were more likely to fail tests of problem solving ability.

　　根据美国国立卫生研究院的研究人员的研究，肥胖父母的孩子可能有发育迟缓的风险。研究人员发现，母亲肥胖有可能影响孩子的精细运动技能，包括控制小肌肉运动的能力，如手指和手的运动。肥胖父亲的孩子有可能有较差的社交能力。对于那些父母都很胖的孩子，解决问题的能力可能更差。

　　The study, appearing in Pediatrics, was conducted by scientists at the NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

　　该研究出现在儿科，由美国国立卫生研究院的尤尼斯肯尼迪斯里弗国立儿童健康和人类发展研究所(NICHD)的科学家进行。

　　“The previous U.S. studies in this area have focused on the mothers’ pre- and post-pregnancy weight,” said the study’s first author, Edwina Yeung, Ph.D., an investigator in NICHD’s Division of Intramural Population Health Research. “Our study is one of the few that also includes information about fathers, and our results suggest that dad’s weight also has significant influence on child development.”

　　该研究的第一作者，NICHD 的健康研究部门的 Edwina Yeung 博士说：“美国以前在该领域的研究关注的是母亲的孕前和孕后体重，我们的研究是少数几个将父亲的体重纳入关注的研究之一，我们的研究结果表明，爸爸的体重也对儿童发育有重大影响。”

　　Dr. Yeung and her coauthors cited research indicating that about 1 in 5 pregnant women in the United States is overweight or obese.

　　杨博士及其合作者引用的研究表明，美国约有五分之一的孕妇超重或肥胖。

　　In the study, authors reviewed data collected from the Upstate KIDS study, which originally sought to determine if fertility treatments could affect child development from birth through age 3. More than 5,000 women enrolled in the study roughly 4 months after giving birth in New York State (excluding New York City) between 2008 and 2010. To assess development, parents completed the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (link is external) after performing a series of activities with their children. The test isn’t used to diagnose specific disabilities, but serves as a screen for potential problems, so that children can be referred for further testing.

　　在该研究中，作者收集了从北部 KIDS 研究的数据，这一研究最初是为了确定不孕治疗是否会影响 0 到 3 岁儿童的发育。2008 年至2010 年在纽约州有超过 5000 名妇女在分娩后大约 4 个月内参加了此研究。为了评估孩子的发育，家长在与孩子们进行一系列活动后完成了相应年龄阶段的问卷调查。该测试不用于诊断特定的疾病，仅作为潜在问题的筛查，所以儿童可以参考进一步测试。

　　Children in the study were tested at 4 months of age and retested 6 more times through age 3. When they enrolled, mothers also provided information on their health and weight — before and after pregnancy — and the weight of their partners.

　　研究中的儿童在4个月龄时进行测试，并在 3 岁时重新测试多次。当他们注册时，母亲还提供了他们在怀孕前后的健康和体重以及他们的伴侣体重的信息。

　　Compared to children of normal weight mothers, children of obese mothers were nearly 70 percent more likely to have failed the test indicator on fine motor skill by age 3. Children of obese fathers were 75 percent more likely to fail the test’s personal-social domain — an indicator of how well they were able to relate to and interact with others by age 3. Children with two obese parents were nearly three times more likely to fail the test’s problem solving section by age 3.

　　与正常体重母亲的孩子相比，肥胖母亲的孩子在3岁时进行精细运动技能测试失败的可能性接近70%。肥胖父亲的孩子社会方面的测试有75%的可能会失败，这是他们在3岁时能够与他人相处并互动的指标。双亲都肥胖的孩子在3岁前解决问题失败的几率是其他孩子的三倍。

　　It is not known why parental obesity might increase children’s risk for developmental delay. The authors note that animal studies indicate that obesity during pregnancy may promote inflammation, which could affect the fetal brain. Less information is available on the potential effects of paternal obesity on child development. The authors added that some studies have indicated that obesity could affect the expression of genes in sperm.

　　研究人员也不清楚为什么父母的肥胖会增加儿童发育迟缓的风险。作者指出，动物研究表明，在怀孕期间的肥胖可能促进炎症，这可能会影响胎儿的大脑。关于父亲肥胖对儿童发展的潜在影响的研究分长常少。作者补充说，有一些研究表明，肥胖可能会影响基因在精子中的表达。

　　If the link between parental obesity and developmental delays is confirmed, the authors wrote, physicians may need to take parental weight into account when screening young children for delays and early interventional services.

　　如果父母的肥胖和孩子发育迟缓之间的关系得到确认，在筛查儿童发育延缓和早期介入指导儿童发育时，医生可能需要将父母的体重也考虑进来。