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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Rapid weight gain during early childhood is associated with overweight in preadolescence: a longitudinal study in
H Nanri1, T Shirasawa1, H Ochiai1
1Department of Public Health, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Insights
Rapid weight gain in early childhood significantly increases the risk of childhood overweight in preadolescence for both boys and girls. This early life growth pattern is a key predictor of later weight status.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Growth and Development
- Obesity Research
Background:
- Childhood overweight is a growing public health concern.
- Understanding early life factors influencing weight status is crucial for prevention.
- The association between rapid infant and toddler weight gain and later overweight requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between rapid weight gain in early childhood and overweight status in preadolescence.
- To analyze these associations separately for boys and girls.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 1296 Japanese children (676 boys, 620 girls) aged 9-10 years was studied.
- Weight and height data from birth to 10 years were collected.
- Rapid weight gain was defined using weight-for-age standard deviation scores between birth-1.5 years and 1.5-3 years.
Main Results:
- Rapid weight gain during 0-1.5 years and/or 1.5-3 years significantly increased the odds of being overweight at 9-10 years in both boys and girls.
- Specific odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were reported for different rapid weight gain patterns.
- For boys, ORs were 6.21 (95% CI, 2.84-13.58) and 3.31 (95% CI, 1.67-6.54). For girls, ORs were 7.55 (95% CI, 2.99-19.07) and 3.42 (95% CI, 1.38-8.49).
Conclusions:
- Rapid weight gain during early childhood is a significant predictor of overweight in preadolescence.
- This association is consistent across both sexes.
- Early growth monitoring may help identify children at risk for developing overweight.
Background:
The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between rapid weight gain during early childhood and overweight in preadolescence by sex.
Method:
Study subjects were 676 boys and 620 girls in fourth grade (aged 9 or 10 years) from elementary schools in Ina-town, Japan, during 2010-2012. Height and weight of subjects at birth, age 1.5 and 3 years, were collected from the Maternal and Child Health Handbook, while values at 9-10 years were measured. Rapid weight gain was defined as a change in weight-for-age standard deviation score greater than 0.67 from birth to age 1.5 years (0-1.5 years) or from age 1.5 to 3 years (1.5-3 years).
Results:
After adjustment for confounding factors, compared with no rapid weight gain, rapid weight gain during 0-1.5 years and 1.5-3 years or rapid weight gain during 1.5-3 years but not during 0-1.5 years significantly increased the odds ratio (OR) for overweight at age 9-10 years in boys (OR, 6.21; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.84-13.58 and OR, 3.31; 95% CI, 1.67-6.54, respectively) and girls (OR, 7.55; 95% CI, 2.99-19.07 and OR, 3.42; 95% CI, 1.38-8.49, respectively).
Conclusion:
The present study suggests that rapid weight gain during early childhood was associated with being overweight in preadolescence, regardless of sex.
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