Adiposity changes in youth with a family history of cardiovascular disease: impact of ethnicity, gender and socioeconomic status.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study is to describe change in the prevalence of overweightness over time in a cohort of youth with a family history of cardiovascular disease and to determine whether changes in adiposity were influenced in this group by ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status (SES), or interactions among these factors.


METHODS
Two hundred and fifty-three subjects with an average age of 8.8 years +/- 2.0 (SD) at the initial visit and 16.0 years +/- 1.8 SD at follow-up were included in the study. Measures of general adiposity, central adiposity, and peripheral adiposity were obtained at both the initial and follow-up visits. Overweight was defined as having a body mass index (BMI) > the 95th percentile; at risk for overweight was defined as having a BMI between the 85th and 95th percentile for age and gender.


RESULTS
The prevalence of overweight among the study group remained stable at about 22%, while the prevalence of at risk for being overweight increased from 8.7% to 17.4%. Nearly 40% of all the participants had a BMI > 85th percentile at follow-up. Lower SES youth demonstrated the largest increases in BMI, standardized BMI, sum of skinfold thickness, waist circumference, and triceps skinfold thickness.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of youth at risk for being overweight increases during late childhood and adolescence. Effectively focused primary prevention efforts are needed for at-risk youth to prevent the later development of adiposity-related morbidity.
D001741:Black or African American; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000235:genetics*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D015995:Prevalence; D012923:Social Class; D044465:White People