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Small for gestational age by grandmaternal smoking during pregnancy: Tohoku Medical Megabank Project Birth and Three-Generation Cohort Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 December 2025

Mustakim Open the ORCID record for Mustakim [Opens in a new window] ,
Mami Ishikuro ,
Chikana Kawaguchi ,
Genki Shinoda ,
Aoi Noda ,
Masatsugu Orui ,
Keiko Murakami ,
Hirohito Metoki ,
Taku Obara  and
Shinichi Kuriyama
Mustakim
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University , Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
Mami Ishikuro*
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University , Sendai, Miyagi, Japan Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University , Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
Chikana Kawaguchi
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University , Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
Genki Shinoda
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University , Sendai, Miyagi, Japan Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University , Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
Aoi Noda
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University , Sendai, Miyagi, Japan Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University , Sendai, Miyagi, Japan Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
Masatsugu Orui
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University , Sendai, Miyagi, Japan Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University , Sendai, Miyagi, Japan Department of Disaster Public Health, International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
Keiko Murakami
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University , Sendai, Miyagi, Japan Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University , Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
Hirohito Metoki
Affiliation:
Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
Taku Obara
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University , Sendai, Miyagi, Japan Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University , Sendai, Miyagi, Japan Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
Shinichi Kuriyama
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University , Sendai, Miyagi, Japan Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University , Sendai, Miyagi, Japan Department of Disaster Public Health, International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
*
Corresponding author: Mami Ishikuro; Email: mami.ishikuro.e5@tohoku.ac.jp
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Abstract

Small-for-gestational age (SGA) is an important global public health issue because of its increasing prevalence and long-term effects. Maternal smoking is a known risk factor for SGA; however, the effect of grandmaternal smoking on the risk of SGA in grandchildren SGA remains unclear. In this study, we examined whether grandmaternal smoking during pregnancy was associated with small birth weight, length, and head circumference for gestational age. Data were obtained from 23,730 pregnant women and their offspring from the Tohoku Medical Megabank Project Birth and Three-Generation Cohort Studies. A total of 1,130 grandmaternal-maternal-child triads were identified. Grandmaternal smoking during pregnancy was defined by the Maternal and Child Health Handbook owned by the mothers at birth mothers when they were born. Birth outcomes of grandchildren were obtained from medical records and converted to SGA using the 10th percentile for weight, length, and head circumference. A multivariate logistic regression and propensity scores were used for the analysis. Prevalence of <10th percentile for birth weight, length, and head circumference in grandmaternal smokers were 10.2%, 2.0%, and 10.2%, respectively. Grandmaternal smoking during pregnancy was associated with the lower grandchild’s birth weight (odds ratio (OR) [95% (CI)]: 2.86 [1.05–7.82]) and remained consistent when adjusted by propensity score (OR [95% CI]: 2.87 [1.04–7.92]). Grandmaternal smoking should not be ignored when assessing the SGA risk. Future work should consider the complex mediating relationship between smoking and growth restriction across generations.

Keywords

Small for gestational agegrandmaternal smokingpregnancy

Information

Type
Original Article
Information
Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease , Volume 16 , 2025 , e46
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press in association with The International Society for Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD)

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