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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Associations between toddlers' and parents' BMI, in relation to family socio-demography: a cross-sectional study
Marie Lindkvist1,2, Anneli Ivarsson3, Sven Arne Silfverdal4
1Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Epidemiology and Global Health, Umeå University, SE, 901 87, Umeå, Sweden. marie.lindkvist@umu.se.
Insights
Parental overweight significantly increases toddlers' risk of high body mass index (BMI). The risk is amplified when both parents are overweight, highlighting the importance of family health in early childhood.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Child Development
Background:
- Early life stages (pregnancy and first years) are critical for long-term childhood health and body weight.
- While parental influence on child health is recognized, the specific impact of parental Body Mass Index (BMI) and socio-demographics on toddlers' BMI remains under-explored.
- Understanding familial BMI associations is crucial for early identification and intervention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between toddlers' BMI and their parents' BMI, considering family socio-demographic factors.
- To examine the interactive effect of maternal and paternal BMI on a child's BMI.
- To provide insights for healthcare professionals regarding familial risk factors for childhood obesity.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 697 toddlers (median age 18 months) and their parents (mothers n=697, fathers n=674).
- Data collected via parental questionnaires on health and socio-demographics, alongside measured child and parent height and weight.
- Utilized Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health 2012 BMI thresholds based on WHO reference population for child BMI assessment.
Main Results:
- 33% of toddlers had BMI above the WHO 85th percentile; 14% were above the WHO 95th percentile.
- Toddlers' probability of high BMI (≥ WHO 95th percentile) significantly increased if either parent was overweight (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m²).
- A synergistic effect was observed: overweight mothers and fathers together increased the risk of toddlers having BMI above the WHO 85th percentile.
Conclusions:
- High BMI is prevalent even in toddlers, with parental overweight status being a significant risk factor.
- The risk of a toddler having an elevated BMI escalates with one or both parents being overweight.
- Emphasizes the importance of assessing familial risk factors, including parental BMI, during routine child health check-ups for early intervention.
Background:
It is well established that the pregnancy and the first years of life are important for future childhood health and body weight. Even though current evidence suggests that both parents are important for childhood health, the influence that parents' BMI and socio-demography has on toddlers' BMI has so far received little attention. This study aimed to increase our knowledge on the association between toddlers' and parents' BMI, in relation to family socio-demography. Further, the aim was to investigate the interaction between the mothers' and fathers' BMI in relation to their child's BMI.
Methods:
A total of 697 children with a median age of 18 months (range 16-24 months) participated in the study along with their mothers (n = 697) and fathers (n = 674). As regards representability, our parental sample had a lower proportion of immigrants and the parents were more gainfully employed compared to parents in the rest of Sweden (when the child was 18 months old). The parents completed a questionnaire on parental and child health. Data on parental weight, height, and socio-demographics were recorded along with the child's weight and height measured at an ordinary child health care visit. We used the thresholds for children's BMI that were recommended for surveillance by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in 2012 based on the WHO reference population.
Results:
Among the toddlers, 33 % had a BMI above the WHO 85(th) percentile and 14 % had a BMI above the WHO 95(th) percentile. The probability of a toddler having a BMI above the WHO 95(th) percentile was significantly increased if either the mother or father was overweight (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m(2)). Furthermore, we found a positive synergistic effect between the mother and father being overweight and their child having a BMI above the WHO 85(th) percentile. No associations were found between the toddlers' BMI and the family's socio-demographics, but there were associations between the parents' BMI and the family's socio-demographics.
Conclusion:
High BMI is common even in toddlers in this population. The risk increases if one parent is overweight, and it increases even more if both parents are overweight. The results in this study confirm the importance of considering familial risk factors when examining child health and BMI at ordinary child health care visits already at an early age.
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