Fig. 3

Association between weighted quantile sum of PFAS exposure and weight retention and body fat percentage at 6 and 12 months postpartum ^†

Abbr: BMI: Body Mass Index; PFAS: per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, PFDA: perfluorodecanoic acid; PFHxS: perfluorohexanesulfonic acid, PFNA: perfluorononanoic acid; PFOA: perfluorooctanoic acid; PFOS: perfluorooctanesulfonic acid; PPWR: postpartum weight retention. † The unit for PFAS concentrations is log(ng/ml) and weight retention is in kilograms. Models and index weights for negative mixtures are presented. The model is adjusted for maternal race/ethnicity, education, maternal age, parity, early pregnancy BMI, energy intake (kcal/day at 6 m), physical activity (METs/week at 6 or 12 months), gestational age at PFAS sampling, gestational age at delivery, breastfeeding (yes/no) and weeks post-partum. In 6 month models considering all participants, the n is 124 and 104 at 12 months. In stratified analysis, the groups are lower early pregnancy BMI (< 25 kg/m²; n = 66 at 6 month and 52 at 12 months) and higher early pregnancy BMI (> = 25 kg/m²: n = 58 at 6 months and 52 at 12 months)