title: Longitudinal changes in infant body composition: association with childhood obesity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rapid weight gain in infancy has been established as a risk factor for the development of later obesity.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to investigate the role of changes in infant body composition (assessed via total body electrical conductivity) on the development of overweight/obesity in mid-childhood.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-three term infants were evaluated at birth, three times during infancy and in mid-childhood. Logistic regression was used to determine associations between rates of total weight gain, fat mass gain and lean mass gain during infancy and later overweight/obesity (defined as body mass index [BMI] ≥85th percentile), adjusted for birth weight and parent education.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At follow-up (age 9.0 ± 1.8 years), 30% were overweight/obese. More rapid total weight gain from 0 to 4 months was associated with twofold odds (odds ratio [OR] 1.98, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.05-3.74, P = 0.04) of overweight/obesity in mid-childhood. From 0 to 8 months, more rapid weight gain was associated with nearly fivefold odds (OR 4.76, 95% CI 1.05-21.5, P = 0.04), and more rapid fat mass gain was associated with eightfold odds (OR 8.03, 95% CI 1.11-58.2, P = 0.04) of later overweight/obesity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This exploratory study suggests that rapid weight gain, especially fat mass gain, in earlier infancy predisposes to mid-childhood overweight/obesity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Koontz
authors.forename: D D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Gunzler
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Presley
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Catalano
mesh_terms: D001724:Birth Weight; D001823:Body Composition; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015984:Causality; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers; D016017:Odds Ratio; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D015430:Weight Gain
keywords: Infant fat mass; infant weight gain; perinatal programming