title: Body mass index development from birth to early adolescence; effect of perinatal characteristics and maternal migration background in a Swedish cohort.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Well documented diversity in risk of developing overweight and obesity between children of immigrant and of native mothers, might be explained by different body mass index (BMI) development trajectories in relation to maternal and perinatal characteristics of offspring.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess BMI development trajectories among children born to immigrant and to Swedish mothers from birth to adolescence in relation to perinatal characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cohort of 2517 children born in Stockholm during 1994 to 1996 was followed with repeated measurement of height and weight at eleven time points until age 12 years. We estimated changes over time for BMI in relation to maternal and perinatal characteristics of offspring using mixed linear model analysis for repeated measure data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We observed a significant BMI change over time in children and time interaction with maternal migration status (P<0.0001). Estimated BMI over time adjusted for maternal and perinatal characteristics of offspring, showed slower BMI growth before age of 5, followed by an earlier plateau and steeper BMI growth after 5 years among children of immigrant mothers compared with children of Swedish mothers. These differences in BMI growth were more prominent among children with mothers from outside Europe.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Beside reinforcing early childhood as a crucial period in development of overweight, the observed slower BMI development at early childhood among children of immigrants followed by a steeper increase in BMI compared with children of Swedish mothers is important for further studies and for planning of preventive public health programs.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Medicine, Division of Epidemiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Mohsen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Besharat Pour
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Medicine, Division of Epidemiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bergström
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Medicine, Unit of Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bottai
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Medicine, Division of Epidemiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Magnusson
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Medicine, Division of Epidemiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Clinical Science and Education, Stockholm South General Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Sachs' Children and Youth Hospital, Stockholm South General Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Inger
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kull
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Medicine, Division of Epidemiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Sachs' Children and Youth Hospital, Stockholm South General Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Magnus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wickman
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Medicine, Division of Epidemiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Centre for Epidemiology and Community Medicine, Stockholm County Council, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Tahereh
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Moradi
mesh_terms: D001724:Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016014:Linear Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013548:Sweden