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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Tracking of obesity and body fatness through mid-childhood
C M Wright1, P M Emmett, A R Ness
1Department of Child Health, Division of Developmental Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK. cmw7a@clinmed.gla.ac.uk
Insights
Children of obese parents have higher fat levels early in life and are more likely to remain over-fat throughout childhood. This highlights the importance of parental obesity in tracking childhood body composition.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric obesity research
- Childhood body composition tracking
- Genetics and environmental influences on obesity
Background:
- Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern.
- Understanding body composition tracking is crucial for early intervention.
- Parental obesity is a known risk factor for childhood obesity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the tracking of fat mass, lean mass, and body mass index (BMI) in children.
- To examine the relationship between parental obesity and children's body composition.
- To identify children at risk for persistent overweight and obesity.
Main Methods:
- Prospective cohort study (Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, UK).
- Measured height, weight, and bioelectrical impedance (BIA) at ages 7 and 11 years.
- Defined obesity and overweight using International Obesity Task Force thresholds; calculated fat and lean z scores.
Main Results:
- 75% of children obese at age 7 remained obese at age 11.
- Fat and lean z scores demonstrated moderate tracking (correlation coefficients 0.70-0.73).
- Children with obese parents had higher fat z scores at age 7 and greater increases thereafter, with higher likelihood of being very over-fat.
Conclusions:
- Children of obese parents exhibit elevated fat levels by age 7.
- These children are more prone to remaining very over-fat through age 11.
- Parental obesity is a significant predictor of persistent overweight in offspring.
Objectives:
To explore how fat, lean and body mass index (BMI) track in childhood and how this relates to parental obesity.
Design And Setting:
Prospective population-based cohort study: Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, UK.
Method:
Height, weight and leg-to-leg bioelectrical impedance (BIA) were collected at ages 7 and 11 years, as well as pre-pregnancy parental heights and weights. For BMI International Obesity Task Force thresholds of obesity and overweight were used. Impedance data were expressed as separate lean and fat z scores, internally standardised for gender, height and age and a child was defined as over-fat if fat z score was >85th and very over-fat if >95th internal centile.
Results:
Data were available for 7723 and 7252 children at ages 7 and 11 years, respectively (6066 at both time points). Of those obese at age 7, 75% were still obese at age 11, while of those who had been overweight 16% had become obese and 20% now had normal BMI. Both fat and lean z scores showed moderate levels of tracking (correlation coefficients 0.70 and 0.73, respectively). Children with one or two obese parents had higher fat z scores at age 7 and showed greater increases in fat thereafter. They were more likely to be very over-fat at age 7 and, of these, 69% remained so at age 11 compared to only 45% with non-obese parents (p <0.001).
Conclusions:
Children of obese parents already have high fat levels at age 7 and are more likely to remain very over-fat.
