Dr. Widen presented some of her recent work on trajectory modeling at the Society for Epidemiologic Research Annual meeting in Baltimore, MD. In the NICHD fetal growth studies, we used latent class modeling to identify six distinct pregnancy weight trajectories in this cohort.
Our lab is currently working on methods to further understand these trajectories and to identify patterns associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes… So stay tuned for more details!
At ASN 2018, Dr. Widen presented a poster entitled “Classifying pregnancy weight gain trajectories in African American and Dominican Women from Northern Manhattan and the South Bronx.” This analysis introduced Dr. Widen’s use of semi-parametric modeling for pregnancy weight gain trajectories as a means of more accurately tracking and examining weight gain patterns. Unlike prior models, which rely on linear weight gain estimates, this method of analysis can be used to assess patterns of weight gain longitudinally over pregnancy, which provides a more nuanced perspective on changes in body composition. Ultimately this method of modeling may be used to identify determinants of specific pregnancy and health outcomes, and serve as a foundation for the development of targeted clinical recommendations.
Our paper on HIV and body composition changes during lactation was published online in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. In our cohort of HIV+ and HIV- women from Gulu area in Northern Uganda, we observed minimal changes in body fat and lean mass from 1 week to 12 months postpartum. Strikingly, we found that HIV was not associated with body composition changes during 12 months of breastfeeding. We found that increasing food insecurity was associated with adverse changes in body composition after 6 months postpartum. Moreover, we observed that pregnancy weight gain was a strong predictor of body composition changes, indicating that supporting maternal nutrition before and during pregnancy may have lasting implications. Thanks to our co-authors, research team and collaborators for your efforts! (Above: Claire, Beth and Winnie after training in Uganda)
Our K99/R00 award “Pregnancy weight trajectories and offspring adiposity” (K99HD086304) was awarded. This award will provide $1,005,402 for Dr. Widen’s training and research for the next five years!
This Pathway to Independence Award will allow Dr. Widen to gain additional training in advanced trajectory modeling and human phenotyping. The research component of this project applies innovative trajectory modeling approaches to examine maternal weight trajectories in pregnancy. For the K99, Dr. Widen will leverage existing data from the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health Mothers and Newborns Study and the NICHD Fetal Growth Study to accomplish the following specific aims: 1) Identify maternal weight trajectories reflecting timing and overall pattern of gestational weight gain using nonparametric trajectory methods and to examine determinants of these trajectories. 2) Examine how maternal weight trajectories relate to child growth, body composition and cardiometabolic health. For the R00, Dr. Widen will conduct a pilot study to evaluate whether maternal fat mass changes are associated with specific maternal weight trajectories during pregnancy and neonatal adiposity.
We are thrilled to announce that our paper in “Excessive gestational weight gain is associated with long-term body fat and weight retention at 7 y postpartum in African American and Dominican mothers with underweight, normal, and overweight prepregnancy BMI” in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition was awarded 2015 Best Paper on obesity-related research by an investigator affiliated with the New York Obesity Research Center by the Science Unbound Foundation. (Above: Dr. Rudy Leibel giving Dr. Widen her plaque)
June 23, 2016
We were thrilled to present the first set of longitudinal results from our cohort in Uganda at the Epidemiology Congress of the Americas 2016. Our poster focused on the the role of maternal HIV and food insecurity in body composition changes during lactation in Ugandan women.
Dr. Widen also co-chaired the Speed Networking event along with Dr. Kellee White, which was a great success–even at 7 AM!
June 3, 2016
Our paper led by Dr. Lori Hoepner on BPA exposure and childhood body fat was published in Environmental Health Perspectives in May 2016. The paper was featured in several news outlets, including Mother Jones, the New York Post, and was featured by the CUMC Mailman School of Public Health.
Briefly, we found maternal BPA measured in the third trimester was associated with child fat mass index (an indicator of body fat relative to height), waist circumference and percentage body fat at age 7 among girls. No associations were observed between childhood measures of BPA and child body fat at age 7.
April 6, 2016
Our proposal “Pathways between maternal nutrition, toxicant exposure, home environment and child neurodevelopment” was awarded a Thrasher Research Fund Early Career Award by the Thrasher Research Fund.
This will be the first study to evaluate the pathways between maternal nutrition, environmental toxicants and child neurodevelopment. We will examine these pathways with in our prospective birth cohort (n=727) of American and Dominican women and their children from low-income neighborhoods in the Bronx and Northern Manhattan.
We look forward to embarking on this exciting proposal.
March 29, 2016
We are very excited to be presenting at ASN meeting in San Diego.
Dr. Widen will be co-charing a session on “Global Nutrition: Nutritional Deficiency Prevalence and Consequences” on Saturday April 2nd. During this session, Dr. Widen will be giving a talk on pregnancy weight gain and body composition in HIV infected and HIV-uninfected Kenyan women.
We are also thrilled to be contributing to several other presentations and posters over the course of the meeting! See you there!
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