# Identifying mechanisms of maternal-infant obesity risk transmission: The role of appetite, sleep, and circadian rhythms

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2024 · $692,779

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Weight gain patterns during the first year of life are a critical risk factor for long-term cardiometabolic health
from infancy through adulthood. Infant obesity risk is influenced by appetitive traits in the first 3 months. These
appetitive traits, food responsiveness (FR) and satiety responsiveness (SR), reflect food approach and
avoidance behaviors, respectively. However, little is known about factors that affect FR and SR development
during infancy, which may inform novel, effective behavioral interventions for obesity risk. Emerging data
indicate that sleep and circadian rhythms are related to appetite in children and adults, although little is known
about how sleep and circadian rhythms are associated with appetite development in infants. We posit the novel
hypothesis that infant sleep/circadian rhythm patterns affect infants’ appetite, and together, they impact infants’
obesity risk. We also posit that the degree of synchronization between maternal and infant circadian rhythms
further affects infant appetite development and obesity risk. In the proposed study, pregnant individuals
(N=230, body mass index ≥18.5 kg/m2) will be recruited in their third trimester. We acknowledge that not all
who give birth identify as women or females. We use the terms "pregnant women," "postpartum women,"
“maternal,” and "mothers" to refer to all birthing people throughout this application. Maternal-infant sleep and
circadian rhythms (focused on rest-activity rhythms and nighttime feeding), along with infant appetite and
weight, will be assessed via objective and subjective methods at 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-months after birth. Thus, to
identify potentially modifiable influences on infant weight trajectory, the specific aims are to: (1) determine the
concurrent and predictive effects of infant sleep/circadian rhythms on infant appetite development in the first 6
months of life; (2) identify the combined effects of early infant appetite and disrupted sleep/circadian rhythms
on rapid infant weight gain in the first 6 months and infant weight outcomes at 12-months; and (3) explore the
role of maternal-infant synchronization of rest-activity rhythms in the models of infant sleep/circadian rhythms
and appetite predicting infant weight. This proposal addresses compelling questions about sleep, circadian
rhythms, and obesity identified in the NHLBI Strategic Vision and NIH Strategic Plan. Notably, in alignment with
the Katz Early Stage Investigator Research Grant Program, this proposal involves innovative changes in the
PI’s research direction: (1) new population (moving from mothers to infants); (2) new methods (moving from
self-report to objective assessment and dyadic metrics); and (3) new potential therapeutic targets (moving from
eating-related targets to sleep/circadian rhythms & maternal-infant synchronization). The PI and investigative
team have the content and methodological expertise that will ensure successful conduct of the proposed
r...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10895523
- **Project number:** 5R01HL166171-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** Rachel P. Kolko Conlon
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $692,779
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-08-01 → 2028-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10895523

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10895523, Identifying mechanisms of maternal-infant obesity risk transmission: The role of appetite, sleep, and circadian rhythms (5R01HL166171-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10895523. Licensed CC0.

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