title: Regional distribution of risk for childhood diabetes in Austria and possible association with body mass index.
abstract: This study was performed to investigate whether the body mass index (BMI) of diabetic children at manifestation is related to the non-random risk distribution in Austria and whether there is an association with the BMI of the background population. All newly diagnosed cases aged <15 years (n=1644) from 1989 to 2000 were allocated to districts using the postal code. BMI at the time of diagnosis was derived from the Austrian incidence data sheet in 99.3% of the registered cases. Data on BMI of the whole population >14 years of age for the year 1991 and birth weight for the years 1989-1999 were derived from Statistics Austria. Linear regression as well as ecological regression (Poisson) models with correction for non-linearity were used. BMI at diabetes manifestation was positively associated with year of diagnosis (P<0.05) and the age at diagnosis (P<0.01). An increase in BMI when moving from West to East (P<0.01) and a higher BMI at diagnosis in boys than girls (P<0.01) was observed. The ecological regression model showed a positive significant association of BMI in newborns and a positive trend of BMI in the background population with incidence rates.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  our data support the hypothesis that obesity may be a risk factor not only for type 2 but for type 1 in children acting as an accelerator for the clinical manifestation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Institute of Cancer Research, University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Waldhör
authors.forename: Edith
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schober
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rami
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001317:Austria / Q000453:epidemiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012044:Regression Analysis