title: Risk of developing adulthood obesity among females born with low birth weight: Results from a non-concurrent study from rural Southern India.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the relationship between birth weight and the evolution of obesity in adult life in women from a rural developmental block in southern India.
  
  
  METHODS
  Non-concurrent cohort.
  
  
  METHODS
  General community- a rural developmental block in southern India.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred and seventy one young healthy females were recruited from a birth cohort. The study subjects were 98 women in the age group of 19-23 years who had been born with low birth weight (LBW) and 173 women in the same age group who had been born with normal birth weight (NBW).
  
  
  METHODS
  Data collection involved interview using a structured questionnaire and anthropometric measurements.
  
  
  METHODS
  Chi-square test to assess significance of association, independent sample t test to assess the difference between means, odds ratios for measuring magnitude of association, stratified analysis to identify various interactions and confounders, and multiple logistic regression models to identify the relationship between birth weight and young adult obesity (BMI > 25).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A crude odds ratio of 0.564 (95% CI 0.262 - 1.214) was obtained for the association between LBW and development of obesity later in life. In the final logistic regression model, it was found that a young adult female with low birth weight who belonged to a higher socio-economic group had a higher risk of developing obesity (Adjusted odds for the interaction term between LBW and high SES 6.251; 95% CI 1.236 - 31.611).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study could not find any significant association between LBW and development of obesity later in life, but it found a higher probability of developing obesity later in life among low birth weight female children born in high socio-economic status families.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Arup
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chakraborty
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Rakesh
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kumaran
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Jasmin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Prasad
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Anu M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Kuryan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: George
keywords: Barker's hypothesis; low birth weight; obesity