Body mass index during childhood, adolescence and young adulthood in relation to adult overweight and adiposity: the Fels Longitudinal Study

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Childhood overweight develops during`critical periods', but the relationship of body mass index (BMI) patterns during`critical periods' from childhood into adulthood with subsequent overweight and adiposity has not been previously investigated. BMI patterns during early childhood, pubescence and post-pubescence and their independent effects on overweight and body fatness at 35 ± 45 y of age were examined along with birth weight and the effects of adult lifestyle factors. METHODS: BMI parameters describing the timing, velocity minimum (min) and maximum (max) values from 2 to 25 y of age were related to adulthood BMI values and total and percentage body fat (TBF, %BF) at 35 ± 45 y. These data were from 180 males and 158 females in the Fels Longitudinal Study. RESULTS: There was no sex difference in the timing of BMI rebound, but the age of BMI maximum velocity and maximum BMI were both earlier in girls. Children with an earlier BMI rebound had larger BMI values at rebound and at maximum velocity. Children who reached maximum BMI at later age had larger maximum BMI values. Maximum BMI was a strong predictor for adult BMI and in females, a strong predictor of adulthood TBF and %BF. Maximum BMI was closely related to maximum BMI velocity in females and in males, BMI at maximum velocity is a strong predictor of TBF and %BF. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in childhood BMI were related to adult overweight and adiposity more so in females than males. BMI rebound is a signi®cant important period related to overweight at 35 ± 45 y in females but not in males. However BMI patterns during and post-adolescence were more important than the BMI rebound for adulthood TBF and %BF status. There is marked tracking in BMI from approximately 20 y into 35 ± 45 y. The pattern of BMI changes from 2 to 25 y had stronger effects on subsequent adult overweight than birth weight and adult lifestyle variables.

Early adiposity rebound: causes and consequences for obesity in children and adults

“…Polynomial models to describe the patterns of change in BMI are also used. [11][12][13][14][15] Age at minimum BMI is derived from these models. Comparing different approaches, a recent study 15 concluded that estimating AR visually appears to best reflect the physiological basis of the AR.…”

“…4,8 This is similar to the generally reported mean values, varying between 5 and 7 years according to the population studied and the method used. [11][12][13][14][15][16] Prediction of adult fatness AR and adult fatness On average, AR takes place by the age of 6 years, but in individual cases, as shown in Figure 1, it may occur earlier or later. 8 These individual BMI patterns explain why, before AR, the child's BMI predicts adult fatness only poorly.…”

“…[11][12][13][14][16][17][18] Using the French sample 6,19 of the International Growth Study, 20 we established that age at AR was significantly associated with BMI level at later ages: 4 the earlier the AR, the higher the BMI or the subscapular skin fold at age 21 years. 8 Regression analysis performed on this sample indicated that each year decrease in age at AR was associated with a 0.84 kg/m 2 (0.82 in boys and 0.85 in girls) increase in the predicted BMI level at age 21 years (Po0.001) (unpublished data).…”

Family and early life factors associated with changes in overweight status between ages 5 and 14 years: findings from the Mater University Study of Pregnancy and its outcomes

“…2 These trends are likely to have major public health consequences since overweight or obesity status tracks from childhood to adulthood and there is emerging evidence that the precursors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease, some of which will be irreversible, already exist in overweight and obese children. [2][3][4][5][6][7] With respect to the tracking of measures of obesity across time, most studies have assessed correlations between body mass index (BMI) at different ages and found moderate correlations, 8,9 or have assessed how well being overweight or obese at one stage of the life course predicts being overweight or obese at a later stage. 6,[10][11][12][13] Few studies have examined the range of possibilities of patterns between two time pointsFthat is what proportion of those who are not overweight at the first time point have become overweight by the second and what proportion have remained not overweight and what proportion of those who are overweight at the first time point remain so by the second time point.…”

Tracking excess weight and obesity from childhood to young adulthood: a 12-year prospective cohort study in Slovenia

“…Obesity is a burdening factor in all respects; it should become a public health priority in developed and developing countries, and it is from this perspective of prevention that the relationship between childhood obesity and young adult obesity has been investigated. Several studies have shown a tendency of those who are overweight or obese as children to remain overweight or obese as adolescents and adults (20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28) . However, much of the research has been conducted in high-income and predominantly Western countries, while only limited data are available for middle-or low-income countries and post-socialist countries (like Slovenia), which quickly and abruptly adopted capitalist economies and consumerist lifestyles, including eating habits and physical activity patterns.…”