Tracking BMI Changes in Parent-Child Dyads: Insights From the Feel4Diabetes Study.

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Endocrinology
• Public Health
• Obesity Research

Background:

• Parental weight status is a significant predictor of childhood obesity.
• Limited research exists on how longitudinal changes in parental body mass index (BMI) affect children's weight trajectories, particularly in high-risk populations for type 2 diabetes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine changes in children's BMI-for-age z-scores (BMIz) over two years.
• To associate these changes with independent and cumulative changes in parental BMI.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 12,280 children and their parents from the Feel4Diabetes study.
• Assessed changes in child BMIz over 2 years relative to parental BMI changes.
• Analyses were adjusted for socio-demographic factors in both general and high-risk (HR) for type 2 diabetes families.

Main Results:

• A 1 kg/m² decrease in maternal or paternal BMI correlated with a reduction in child BMIz (-0.037 and -0.027, respectively).
• The combined effect of both parents reducing BMI was a stronger association with decreased child BMIz (-0.32).
• This joint parental effect was more pronounced in high-risk families for type 2 diabetes (-0.34).

Conclusions:

• Reductions in parental BMI, particularly when both parents participate, lead to favorable BMI changes in children.
• These beneficial effects are amplified in families at elevated risk for type 2 diabetes.
• Highlights the importance of family-centered interventions for populations at high risk for type 2 diabetes.