A 40-year history of overweight children in Stockholm: life-time overweight, morbidity, and mortality.
We describe the 40-year weight history and adult morbidity and mortality in a cohort of 504 overweight children, aged 2 months to 16 years, who were admitted for investigation of their overweight to four children's hospitals in Stockholm between 1921 and 1947. Follow-up information was gathered by questionnaire at 10-year intervals, most recently in 1980-1983 (n = 458), on weight history (based on the body mass index (BMI = kg/m2)), as well as prevalence of cardiovascular disease (n = 143), diabetes (n = 39), and cancer (all types (n = 20)), reported during the 40 years of follow-up, and mortality from all causes (n = 55), determined from death certificate. The sample of overweight children remained overweight as adults; after age 55 years, the BMI began to decline for both genders. Female subjects were heavier than their male counterparts from postpuberty onward. Subjects who died by the 40-year follow-up and those reporting cardiovascular disease were significantly (P < or = 0.05) heavier at puberty and in adulthood than were healthier subjects. There was a marked increase in the BMI between postpuberty and age 25 among those who subsequently died, those who developed cardiovascular disease, and particularly among those who developed diabetes (P < or = 0.001). In contrast, those reporting cancer had a lower BMI throughout adulthood than those who did not. We conclude that overweight in adolescence may continue into adulthood and may be associated with subsequent adverse health outcomes.
DiPietro
L
L
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia.
Mossberg
H O
HO
Stunkard
A J
AJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D004066:Digestive System Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D015995:Prevalence; D012737:Sex Factors; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology