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Body mass index trajectories from 2 to 18 years - exploring differences between European cohorts
L Graversen1, L D Howe2,3, T I A Sørensen2,4,5
1Section for General Medical Practice, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
Pediatric Obesity
|February 27, 2016
Summary
Childhood overweight prevalence varies between UK and Scandinavian children, with small but persistent body mass index (BMI) differences emerging early. These BMI trajectories show increasing skew with age, highlighting population-level variations.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Childhood overweight is rising in high-income nations.
- UK children show higher prevalence than Scandinavian counterparts.
- This study investigates geographical variations in childhood BMI.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare body mass index (BMI) trajectories in UK and Scandinavian children.
- To identify early-onset differences in childhood BMI.
- To explore factors influencing these BMI variations.
Main Methods:
- Compared BMI trajectories from ages 2-18 years.
- Utilized data from large birth cohorts: ALSPAC (UK), NFBC (Finland), and ABC (Denmark).
- Employed multilevel models and analyzed BMI distribution skew.
Main Results:
- Small, early-emerging BMI differences persisted throughout childhood.
- UK girls (ALSPAC) had consistently higher BMI than other cohorts.
- BMI distribution showed increasing right skew with age.
Conclusions:
- Population-level BMI differences are small but emerge early and persist.
- An increasing right-hand tail in BMI distribution was observed.
- These findings underscore early developmental influences on childhood BMI.
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