title: Temperament in childhood predicts body mass in adulthood: the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study.
abstract: This study examined associations of temperament at ages 6 to 12 with body-mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) at ages 24 to 30 years. The participants were 619 men and women derived from the population-based Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study. Temperament was operationalized as (negative) emotionality, sociability, and activity. High emotionality predicted increased BMI, independently of WC, and independently of childhood and adulthood risk factors for adult obesity. None of the temperament dimensions had any associations with WC after controlling for BMI. The findings suggest that temperamental difficulty in childhood may be a useful risk indicator for general body mass in adulthood, and the mechanisms relating temperament with body mass should be further explored.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pulkki-Råback
authors.forename: Marko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Elovainio
authors.forename: Mika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kivimäki
authors.forename: Olli T
authors.initials: OT
authors.lastname: Raitakari
authors.forename: Liisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Keltikangas-Järvinen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010551:Personality; D018570:Risk Assessment