MAASTHI

Exploring health across generations

Diabetes is a potential epidemic in India, with more than 62 million individuals diagnosed with diabetes. Several factors influence its prevalence, and identifying these factors is essential to facilitate effective treatment and prevention. The causes of diabetes in India are multifactorial, including genetic predisposition coupled with environmental influences, urban migration, and other lifestyle changes.

Pregnancy through early childhood is a critical stage of life, as variations in health during this period can have long-term consequences. 

For instance, if a mother is obese and diabetic during pregnancy, her child is at a higher risk of developing obesity and diabetes later in adulthood. Growing evidence supports this view, highlighting that chronic conditions like diabetes and obesity often have their origins early in life. Despite the high burden of diabetes in India, there is a lack of nationwide, multicentric studies examining its prevalence and associated complications.

To address this gap, there is a pressing need for large-scale research involving pregnant women with long-term follow-up of their children. This prospective approach is essential, as many exposures of interest cannot be assessed retrospectively.

MAASTHI birth cohort is one such study, currently underway in public hospitals of Bengaluru, Karnataka. MAASTHI enrolled approximately 3,000 women during early pregnancy and completed a four-year follow-up. The study aims to continue tracking these families through adolescence to better understand how parental health impacts child outcomes.