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Updated: Dec 8, 2025
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Lifetime antimicrobial use is associated with weight status in early adolescence-A register-based cohort study
Rejane Augusta de Oliveira Figueiredo1,2, Eero Kajantie3,4,5,6, Pertti J Neuvonen7
1Folkhälsan Research Center, Helsinki, Finland.
Insights
Early childhood antibiotic (AMs) exposure increases the risk of adolescent overweight. Lifetime AMs use is linked to higher weight status in children, while thinness risk decreases.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Microbiome Research
- Public Health
Background:
- Antimicrobial agents (AMs) are frequently prescribed to children.
- Early and repeated AMs exposure in infancy is linked to increased childhood overweight and obesity risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between AMs use from birth to early adolescence and weight status.
- To evaluate the dose-response relationship between lifetime AMs exposure and adolescent weight.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 10,093 children in the Finnish Health in Teens cohort (Fin-HIT).
- Assessed AMs purchases and measured weight status (BMI) in early adolescence.
- Employed Multinomial Logistic Regression to estimate Odds Ratios (OR) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CI).
Main Results:
- 73.7% of children were normal weight, 11.1% thin, and 15.2% overweight/obese.
- AMs use peaked in the second year of life (65% of children).
- Each AMs use episode increased overweight risk (OR=1.02), while decreasing thinness risk (OR=0.98).
Conclusions:
- Lifetime antimicrobial agent use is associated with adolescent weight status in a dose-dependent manner.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms linking AMs use to weight.
Background:
Antimicrobial agents (AMs) are the most prescribed drugs to children. Early and repeated exposure to AMs in infancy is associated with increased risk of childhood overweight and obesity.
Aims:
We extended the investigation of AMs use, from birth to early adolescence, and evaluated their association with weight status.
Materials & Methods:
A total of 10093 children from Finnish Health in Teens cohort (Fin-HIT) with register-based data on AMs purchases and measured weight status at the mean age of 11.2 y (SD 0.82) were included in the study. The key exposures were the number AM purchases at a given age or the sum of these during the entire follow-up time to describe lifetime exposure / use. Outcome was weight status in early adolescence defined with International Obesity Task Force cut-offs for the age- and sex-specific body mass index. Odds Ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using Multinomial Logistic Regression.
Results:
Of children, 73.7% were normal weight, 11.1% thin and 15.2% overweight/obese. AMs use was highest during the second year of life, when 65% of all children used AMs, but thereafter decreased with age. The highest mean purchases and prevalence at any given age along with the highest lifetime use were consistently seen among overweight children. Each episode of AMs use throughout life increased the risk of being overweight in adolescence [OR = 1.02 (1.02-1.03)]. However, there was an inverse association between AMs use and thinness [OR = 0.98 (0.97-0.99)].
Discussion:
Despite a high prevalence of AMs use during the early years, lifetime-use was associated with weight status in early adolescence in a dose response manner.
Conclusion:
Future studies should address mechanisms underlying the relationship between AM use and weight.
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