Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 15, 2026

Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
09:36

Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study

Published on: February 2, 2017

Being big or growing fast: systematic review of size and growth in infancy and later obesity

Janis Baird1, David Fisher, Patricia Lucas

  • 1MRC Epidemiology Resource Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton SO16 6YD. jb@mrc.soton.ac.uk

BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.)
|October 18, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Infants with higher birth weight or rapid growth are at greater risk of developing obesity later in life. This association between infant size and later obesity has remained consistent over time.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern with long-term health implications.
  • Early life factors, including infant size and growth patterns, are increasingly recognized as potential predictors of later obesity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically review the scientific literature on the association between infant size or growth and subsequent obesity.
  • To determine if this association has remained consistent over time.

Main Methods:

  • A systematic review of studies was conducted.
  • Included studies assessed the relationship between infant size or growth in the first two years of life and subsequent obesity at any age.
  • Data sources included Medline, Embase, and bibliographies of relevant studies.

Main Results:

  • Twenty-four studies met the inclusion criteria, comprising 22 cohort and 2 case-control studies.
  • Most studies indicated that infants with higher weight or body mass index (BMI) or rapid growth during infancy had an increased risk of subsequent obesity.
  • Odds ratios/relative risks for subsequent obesity ranged from 1.35 to 9.38 for infant obesity and 1.17 to 5.70 for rapid infant growth.

Conclusions:

  • Infants who are larger or experience rapid growth in infancy are at a significantly increased risk of developing obesity later in life.
  • The observed associations between infant size/growth and subsequent obesity were consistent across different ages and historical periods (1927-1994).
Abstract

More Related Videos

Experimental Manipulation of Body Size to Estimate Morphological Scaling Relationships in Drosophila06:00

Experimental Manipulation of Body Size to Estimate Morphological Scaling Relationships in Drosophila

Published on: October 1, 2011

Real Time and Repeated Measurement of Skeletal Muscle Growth in Individual Live Zebrafish Subjected to Altered Electrical Activity11:41

Real Time and Repeated Measurement of Skeletal Muscle Growth in Individual Live Zebrafish Subjected to Altered Electrical Activity

Published on: June 16, 2022

Related Concept Videos

Nature and Nurture01:10

Nature and Nurture

Many human characteristics, like height, are shaped by both nature—in other words, by our genes—and by nurture, or our environment. For example, chronic stress during childhood inhibits the production of growth hormones and consequently reduces bone growth and height. Scientists estimate that 70-90% of variation in height is due to genetic differences among individuals, and 10-30% of variation in height is due to differences in the environments that individuals experience, such as differences...
Obesity01:24

Obesity

The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a numerical value derived from a person's weight and height, used to categorize individuals into weight ranges. It is calculated using the formula: weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. Obesity is a health condition characterized by excessive accumulation of adipose tissue that poses health risks, often diagnosed with a BMI ≥ 30. This excess fat storage occurs when surplus dietary calories are converted into triglycerides and stored in adipocytes...
Cellular Adaptation II: Hypertrophy01:26

Cellular Adaptation II: Hypertrophy

Hypertrophy is the increase in the size of individual cells, resulting in the enlargement of a tissue or organ. Unlike hyperplasia, which involves an increase in cell number, hypertrophy is characterized by an increase in cell volume. This process often occurs in response to higher functional demand or hormonal stimulation, leading to the production of more structural proteins and organelles, thereby enhancing the cells' work capacity.There are two primary types of hypertrophy: physiological...
Regression Toward the Mean01:52

Regression Toward the Mean

Regression toward the mean (“RTM”) is a phenomenon in which extremely high or low values—for example, and individual’s blood pressure at a particular moment—appear closer to a group’s average upon remeasuring. Although this statistical peculiarity is the result of random error and chance, it has been problematic across various medical, scientific, financial and psychological applications. In particular, RTM, if not taken into account, can interfere when researchers try to extrapolate results...
Polygenic Traits01:18

Polygenic Traits

When more than one gene is responsible for a given phenotype, the trait is considered polygenic. Human height is a polygenic trait. Studies have uncovered hundreds of loci that influence height, and there are believed to be many more. Due to the high number of genes involved, as well as environmental and nutritional factors, height varies significantly within a given population. The distribution of height forms a bell-shaped curve, with relatively few individuals in the population at the...
Cellular Adaptation I: Introduction and Atrophy01:23

Cellular Adaptation I: Introduction and Atrophy

Cells can adapt to environmental changes to maintain function and avoid injury, a process called cellular adaptation. Adapted cells exist in a reversible intermediate state with changes in size, number, phenotype, metabolism, or function. These responses help cells meet altered physiological or pathological demands; for example, enlargement of breast and uterine tissues during pregnancy. Early adaptations may enhance function, but persistent stress eventually causes tissue damage.Types of...