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Updated: Mar 28, 2026
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Tracking of abdominal subcutaneous and preperitoneal fat mass during childhood. The Generation R Study
S Vogelezang1,2,3, O Gishti1,2,3, J F Felix1,2,3
1The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Insights
Childhood abdominal fat tracking is significant, especially for subcutaneous fat. Early life abdominal fat distribution may lead to long-term health consequences.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric obesity research
- Body composition analysis
- Child development studies
Background:
- Childhood overweight and obesity often persist into adulthood.
- Limited data exists on the tracking of abdominal fat during early childhood.
- Understanding abdominal fat tracking is crucial for early intervention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the tracking of abdominal fat measures from ages 2 to 6 years.
- To assess the correlation of subcutaneous and preperitoneal fat measures over time.
- To determine the predictive value of early-life abdominal fat for later childhood measurements.
Main Methods:
- Prospective cohort study of 393 Dutch children.
- Abdominal ultrasound used to measure subcutaneous and preperitoneal fat at ages 2 and 6.
- Calculation of preperitoneal/subcutaneous fat distance ratio and definition of high fat measures (top 15%).
Main Results:
- Abdominal subcutaneous fat distance/area and preperitoneal fat area at age 2 correlated with age 6 measures (P<0.01).
- Preperitoneal fat distance at age 2 did not correlate with age 6 measures.
- High subcutaneous fat at age 2 increased risk for high subcutaneous fat at age 6 (ORs 9.2-12.4).
Conclusions:
- Abdominal subcutaneous and preperitoneal fat measures track during childhood, with stronger tracking for subcutaneous fat.
- Early-life adverse abdominal fat distribution may have long-term health implications.
- Targeting early abdominal fat may be beneficial for preventing later obesity-related issues.
Background:
Overweight and obesity in early life tends to track into later life. Not much is known about tracking of abdominal fat. Our objective was to examine the extent of tracking of abdominal fat measures during the first six years of life.
Design:
We performed a prospective cohort study among 393 Dutch children followed from the age of 2 years (90% range 1.9; 2.3) until the age of 6 years (90% range 5.7; 6.2). At both ages, we performed abdominal ultrasound to measure abdominal subcutaneous and preperitoneal fat distances and areas, and we calculated the preperitoneal/subcutaneous fat distance ratio. High abdominal fat measures were defined as values in the upper 15%.
Results:
Abdominal subcutaneous fat distance and area, and preperitoneal fat area at 2 years were correlated with their corresponding measures at 6 years (all P-values <0.01), with the strongest coefficients for abdominal subcutaneous fat measures. Preperitoneal fat distance at the age of 2 years was not correlated with the corresponding measure at 6 years. The tracking coefficient for preperitoneal/subcutaneous fat distance ratio from 2 to 6 years was r=0.36 (P<0.01). Children with high abdominal subcutaneous fat measures at 2 years had increased risk of having high abdominal subcutaneous fat measures at 6 years (odds ratios 9.2 (95% confidence interval (CI) 4.1-20.8) and 12.4 (95% CI 5.4-28.6) for subcutaneous fat distance and area, respectively). These associations were not observed for preperitoneal fat measures.
Conclusions:
Our findings suggest that both abdominal subcutaneous and preperitoneal fat mass measures track during childhood, but with stronger tracking for abdominal subcutaneous fat measures. An adverse abdominal fat distribution in early life may have long-term consequences.
