Background: The aim of the study was to analyse the impact of mothers’ gestational weight gain (GWG) and age at birth on the long-term risk of overweight and obesity in preschool and school-aged children. Methods: The study involved 749 mothers and children at ages between four and 15 years old. Each child was assessed for height and body weight, and then, the body mass category was determined based on the body mass index (BMI) percentile according to the sex and age of the subjects. Information on the perinatal risk factors for overweight and obesity came from the child’s health card or mother’s maternity card. They contained information about the mother’s age at the time of childbirth and the mother’s gestational weight gain during pregnancy. Results: In the group of 7–11-year-olds, the maternal weight gain during pregnancy was higher in obese children than in children with normal weight (18.8 kg vs. 14.3 kg; p = 0.002). This relationship was shown analogously in the group of 7–11-years-olds boys (20.6 kg vs. 15.1 kg; p = 0.005). Positive correlations were also shown between mother’s gestational weight gain and the BMI percentage of the whole group (p = 0.004). In the case of the mother’s age, no statistically significant relationship was found with the child’s weight category. Conclusions: Mothers’ weight gain during pregnancy is a factor that promotes overweightness and obesity in the child. Maternal age at birth does not appear to lead to any propensity toward overweightness and obesity in the later life of a child.

The aim of this study was to assess the changes in the occurrence of prenatal and postnatal anxiety and depression symptoms, and to assess what factors significantly affect the appearance of symptoms of depression and anxiety in young mothers. The study group consisted of 130 women after childbirth. Due to the ongoing restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the survey was prepared online. The questionnaire was fully anonymous, and it contained the authors’ own questions and two standardized questionnaires: the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and Generalized Anxiety Disorders GAD-7. The conducted analysis clearly indicated that the level of postpartum depression, in as many as 52 of the mothers, had increased significantly compared to the time before delivery, when symptoms of depression were shown by 22 women (p = 0.009). However, there was no statistically significant change between prenatal and postnatal anxiety. There are many factors associated with postnatal depression. The strongest predictors turned out to be average socioeconomic status, history of anxiety disorders, past neurosis or depression, lack of or inadequate level of assistance from healthcare professionals, as well as lactation problems and postpartum pain.

Background and Objectives. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between children’s birth weight/length and a risk of overweight and obesity. Materials and Methods. The study involved 747 children from kindergartens, as well as primary and middle schools from southeastern Poland. All the subjects were examined on fasting status. Each child was examined for body mass and height, in order to calculate their body mass index (BMI), and BMI centile. The parents completed a questionnaire related to basic information about the child and the family. Results. In the study group, the male infants presented greater birth body weight and birth body length. A comparison of the distribution of birth weights and lengths between the children with normal BMI and with high BMI showed statistically significant differences only in the case of birth length of 12–15-year-old children and in the group of boys aged 12–15 years. In the case of the female children and the group of 7–11-year-olds a statistically significant difference was found in the BMI centile at a later age—a higher centile was found in the girls and in the children aged 7–11 years classified as adequate for gestational age (AGA). Conclusions. Birth body weight is positively related to BMI centile; however, no significant differences were found in birth weight between children with overweight/obesity and children with normal body weight. Birth length is associated with a lower BMI centile only in boys aged 12–15 years, and lower birth length is found in boys with overweight and obesity.

There are many arguments for the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines in pregnancy. The aim of this study is to describe the level of vaccination acceptance, to find the factors that most influence the decision to vaccinate, and to describe the scale of changes in vaccination acceptance influenced by medical information on the safety, efficacy, and benefits of vaccination among pregnant women. A total of 300 patients completed the questionnaire, including 150 in Poland and 150 in the Ukraine. The level of vaccination acceptance was assessed before and after medical consultation. There were 53 (35.3%) patients with the intention to get vaccinated in Poland and 25 (16.7%) in the Ukraine. After consultation with a physician, this increased to 109 (72.6%) in Poland and 69 (46%) in the Ukraine. The main factors influencing the acceptance of vaccinations were the fear of harming the foetus (OR-0.119, CI-0.039–0.324 p < 0.001), complications in pregnancy (OR-0.073 CI-0.023–0.197 p < 0.001), and limitations in the vaccination programme (OR-0.026 CI-0.001–0.207 p < 0.001). Medical information about the safety, effectiveness and benefits of vaccinations among pregnant women, provided during a medical visit, may increase the acceptance of vaccinations by 105.6%, as among Polish patients, and by 176%, as among pregnant women from the Ukraine.

The aim of the foregoing study was to assess whether physical activity during pregnancy affects the occurrence of anxiety and depression during pregnancy, postpartum and 6 months following childbirth. This study tried to answer the following questions: How was the incidence of depression and anxiety different in the pre- and postpartum periods? What intensity level of physical activity protects against the symptoms of anxiety and depression? Does the time spent engaged in sedentary activities and MVPA affect the occurrence of depression and anxiety before and after childbirth? The study group under analysis consisted of 187 women aged 19–41 years. The research was conducted between April 2016 and November 2020. The study was divided into four stages: T0—qualification to participate in the study; T1—medical history acquisition, consisting of a short questionnaire and two long questionnaires (the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7)), as well as an assessment of 7-day physical activity using Actigraph accelerometers during the pregnancy; T2—the completion of the EPDS and GAD-7 questionnaires after the birth; T3—the completion of the EPDS and GAD-7 questionnaire 6 months after giving birth. The obtained results were statistically processed in the Statistica 13.3 software package. A significance level of p < 0.05 was assumed. The highest percentage of depression occurred immediately after the delivery, followed by 6 months after delivery, and the smallest number of women suffered from depression before the birth (p < 0.001). The analysis of correlations of physical activity with anxiety symptoms did not show significant correlations. However, the situation is different in the case of depression symptoms. Women taking fewer steps before delivery showed a greater tendency to develop depressive symptoms before, immediately after and 6 months after the delivery (p < 0.001). Women who were less active (took fewer steps per day, spent less time in moderate-to-vigorous physical (MVPA) activities or spent more time being sedentary) showed symptoms of depression on the EPDS scale. It appeared that those with severe anxiety symptoms had the highest sedentary time scores before the delivery (p = 0.020). Reduced physical activity promotes the onset of postnatal depression, while being active reduces this risk. Interestingly, even light physical activity “protects” against the occurrence of depression and is better than sedentary activities. Such clear conclusions cannot be drawn in relation to anxiety symptoms. Sedentary behaviour may promote anxiety symptoms immediately after childbirth, but this study should be continued in order to confirm it during other time periods.

The Influence of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus on Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes: A Retrospective Study in Rzeszów, Poland - Article abstract #943644