title: Associations between early body mass index trajectories and later metabolic risk factors in European children: the IDEFICS study.
abstract: Faster growth seems to be a common factor in several hypotheses relating early life exposures to subsequent health. This study aims to investigate the association between body mass index (BMI) trajectories during infancy/childhood and later metabolic risk in order to identify sensitive periods of growth affecting health. In a first step, BMI trajectories of 3301 European children that participated in the multi-centre Identification and Prevention of Dietary and Lifestyle-induced Health Effects in Children and Infants (IDEFICS) study were modelled using linear-spline mixed-effects models. The estimated random coefficients indicating initial subject-specific BMI and rates of change in BMI over time were used as exposure variables in a second step and related to a metabolic syndrome (MetS) score and its single components based on conditional regression models (mean age at outcome assessment: 8.5 years). All exposures under investigation, i.e. BMI at birth, rates of BMI change during infancy (0 to <9 months), early childhood (9 months to <6 years) and later childhood (≥6 years) as well as current BMI z-score were significantly associated with the later MetS score. Associations were strongest for the rate of BMI change in early childhood (1.78 [1.66; 1.90]; β estimate and 99 % confidence interval) and current BMI z-score (1.16 [0.96; 1.38]) and less pronounced for BMI at birth (0.62 [0.47; 0.78]). Results slightly differed with regard to the single metabolic factors. Starting from birth rapid BMI growth, especially in the time window of 9 months to <6 years, is significantly related to later metabolic risk in children. Much of the associations of early BMI growth may further be mediated through the effects on subsequent BMI growth.
authors: Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology - BIPS, Achterstr. 30, 28359, Bremen, Germany. boern@bips.uni-bremen.de.
authors: Claudia
authors: 0000-0001-7587-603X
authors: C
authors: Börnhorst
authors: School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
authors: Kate
authors: K
authors: Tilling
authors: Institute of Food Sciences, National Research Council, Avellino, Italy.
authors: Paola
authors: P
authors: Russo
authors: Department of Chronic Diseases, National Institute for Health Development, Tallinn, Estonia.
authors: Yannis
authors: Y
authors: Kourides
authors: Department of Public Health, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
authors: Nathalie
authors: N
authors: Michels
authors: Department of Pediatrics, University of Pécs, Pecs, Hungary.
authors: Denés
authors: D
authors: Molnár
authors: GENUD (Growth, Exercise, Nutrition and Development) Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.|IIS Aragón (Aragon Health Research Institute), Zaragoza, Spain.
authors: Gerado
authors: G
authors: Rodríguez
authors: GENUD (Growth, Exercise, Nutrition and Development) Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors: Luis A
authors: LA
authors: Moreno
authors: Department of Preventive and Predictive Medicine, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
authors: Vittorio
authors: V
authors: Krogh
authors: School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
authors: Yoav
authors: Y
authors: Ben-Shlomo
authors: Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology - BIPS, Achterstr. 30, 28359, Bremen, Germany.|Institute of Statistics, Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany.
authors: Wolfgang
authors: W
authors: Ahrens
authors: Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology - BIPS, Achterstr. 30, 28359, Bremen, Germany.|Institute of Statistics, Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany.
authors: Iris
authors: I
authors: Pigeot
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D044465:White People
keywords: Childhood BMI growth; Data reduction; IDEFICS study; Linear-spline mixed-effects model; Metabolic risk score