Jill Heathcock

Adding movement analysis to detect neurodevelopmental impairments in infants of obese mothers

Obesity during pregnancy is a public health concern because there are adverse consequences for the mother and the infant. Infants of mothers who are obese are at risk for neurodevelopmental disabilities. The most promising target to improve outcomes for the child is through early identification of disability. One of the most challenging issues in health and medicine is the accurate identification of disability during the infancy period -- before babies are able to walk and talk. General Movement Analysis (GMA) is an objective measure of spontaneous movement used to detect poor neurodevelopment. We will implement the GMA in Tours in order to identify risk factors for poor neurodevelopment much earlier than is currently possible. This project will test 200 infants (100 infants of obese mothers, and 100 infants of mothers with health weight) at birth, 3.5 months of age, and 24 months of age over 4 years. It is important to follow infants and families over time to see how they develop communication and motor skills.