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.
OBJECTIVE
To describe different patterns of overweight status between ages 5 and 14 y and examine the role of modifiable family and early life characteristics in explaining different patterns of change between these two ages.


METHODS
A population-based prospective birth cohort.


METHODS
A total of 2934 children (52% males) who were participants in the Mater-University study of pregnancy, Brisbane, and who were examined at ages 5 and 14 y.


METHODS
Four patterns of change in overweight/obesity status between ages 5 and 14 y: (i) normal at both ages; (ii) normal at 5 y and overweight/obese at 14 y; (iii) overweight/obese at 5 y and normal at 14 y; (iv) overweight/obese at both ages.


RESULTS
Of the 2934 participants, 2018 (68.8%) had a normal body mass index (BMI) at ages 5 and 14 y, 425 (14.5%) changed from a normal BMI at age 5 y to overweight or obese at age 14 y, 175 (6.0%) changed from being overweight or obese at age 5 y to normal weight at age 14 y and 316 (10.8%) were overweight or obese at both ages 5 and 14 y. Girls were more likely to make the transition from overweight or obese at age 5 y to normal at 14 y than their boy counterparts. Children whose parents were overweight or obese were more likely to change from having a normal BMI at age 5 y to being overweight at 14 y (fully adjusted RR: 6.17 (95% CI: 3.97, 9.59)) and were more likely to be overweight at both ages (7.44 (95% CI: 4.60, 12.02)). Birth weight and increase in weight over the first 6 months of life were both positively associated with being overweight at both ages. Other explanatory factors were not associated with the different overweight status transitions.


CONCLUSIONS
Parental overweight status is an important determinant of whether a child is overweight at either stage or changes from being not overweight at 5 y to becoming so at 14 y.
Mamun
A A
AA
Longitudinal Studies Unit, School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. mamun@sph.uq.edu.au
Lawlor
D A
DA
O'Callaghan
M J
MJ
Williams
G M
GM
Najman
J M
JM
D000293:Adolescent; D001724:Birth Weight; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001942:Breast Feeding; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005190:Family; D005220:Fathers; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D009035:Mothers; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors