title: Birth weight and risk of adiposity among adult Inuit in Greenland.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The Inuit population in Greenland has undergone rapid socioeconomic and nutritional changes simultaneously with an increasing prevalence of obesity. Therefore, the objective was to examine fetal programming as part of the aetiology of obesity among Inuit in Greenland by investigating the association between birth weight and measures of body composition and fat distribution in adulthood.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was based on cross-sectional data from a total of 1,473 adults aged 18-61 years in two population-based surveys conducted in Greenland between 1999-2001 and 2005-2010. Information on birth weight was collected from birth records. Adiposity was assessed by anthropometry, fat mass index (FMI), fat-free mass index (FFMI), and visceral (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) estimated by ultrasound. The associations to birth weight were analyzed using linear regression models and quadratic splines. Analyses were stratified by sex, and adjusted for age, birthplace, ancestry and family history of obesity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Spline analyses showed linear relations between birth weight and adult adiposity. In multiple regression analyses, birth weight was positively associated with BMI, waist circumference, FMI, FFMI and SAT with generally weaker associations among women compared to men. Birth weight was only associated with VAT after additional adjustment for waist circumference and appeared to be specific and inverse for men only.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Higher birth weight among Inuit was associated with adiposity in adulthood. More studies are needed to explore a potential inverse association between birth size and VAT.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Epidemiology, Steno Diabetes Center A/S, Gentofte, Denmark.
authors.forename: Pernille Falberg
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Rønn
authors.affiliation: Clinical Epidemiology, Steno Diabetes Center A/S, Gentofte, Denmark.
authors.forename: Lærke Steenberg
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Clinical Epidemiology, Steno Diabetes Center A/S, Gentofte, Denmark.
authors.forename: Gregers Stig
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.affiliation: Clinical Epidemiology, Steno Diabetes Center A/S, Gentofte, Denmark.
authors.forename: Bendix
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Carstensen
authors.affiliation: Centre for Health Research in Greenland, National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bjerregaard
authors.affiliation: Clinical Epidemiology, Steno Diabetes Center A/S, Gentofte, Denmark.
authors.forename: Marit Eika
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Jørgensen
mesh_terms: D050154:Adiposity / Q000502:physiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006116:Greenland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000502:physiology; D004930:Inuit; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult