title: Post-term birth is associated with greater risk of obesity in adolescent males.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test the hypothesise that post-term birth (>42 weeks gestation) adversely affects longitudinal growth and weight gain throughout childhood.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 525 children (including 17 boys and 20 girls born post-term) were followed from birth to age 16 years. Weight and height were recorded prospectively throughout childhood, and respective velocities from birth to end of puberty were calculated using a mathematical model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At birth, post-term girls were slimmer than term girls (ponderal index, 27.7 ± 2.6 kg/m(3) vs 26.3 ± 2.8 kg/m(3); P<.05). At age 16 years, post-term boys were 11.8 kg heavier than term subjects (body mass index [BMI], 25.4 ± 5.5 kg/m(2) vs 21.7 ± 3.1 kg/m(2); P<.01). The rate of obesity was 29% in post-term boys and 7% in term boys (P<.01), and the combined rate of overweight and obesity was 47% in post-term boys and 13% in term boys (P<.01). Weight velocity, but not height velocity, was higher in post-term boys at age 1.5-7 years (P<.05) and again at age 11.5-16 years (P<.05). BMI was higher in post-term boys at age 3 years, with the difference increasing thereafter. BMI and growth were similar in post-term and term girls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this post-term birth cohort, boys, but not girls, demonstrated accelerated weight gain during childhood, leading to greater risk of obesity in adolescence.
authors.affiliation: Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Beltrand
authors.forename: Tanya K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Soboleva
authors.forename: Paul R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Shorten
authors.forename: José G B
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Derraik
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hofman
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Albertsson-Wikland
authors.forename: Ze'ev
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hochberg
authors.forename: Wayne S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Cutfield
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D001724:Birth Weight; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007233:Infant, Postmature; D008297:Male; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012016:Reference Values; D018570:Risk Assessment; D017678:Sex Distribution; D015430:Weight Gain