title: Rapid weight gain during early childhood is associated with overweight in preadolescence: a longitudinal study in Japan.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between rapid weight gain during early childhood and overweight in preadolescence by sex.
  
  
  METHODS
  Study subjects were 676 boys and 620 girls in fourth grade (aged 9 or 10 years) from elementary schools in Ina-town, Japan, during 2010-2012. Height and weight of subjects at birth, age 1.5 and 3 years, were collected from the Maternal and Child Health Handbook, while values at 9-10 years were measured. Rapid weight gain was defined as a change in weight-for-age standard deviation score greater than 0.67 from birth to age 1.5 years (0-1.5 years) or from age 1.5 to 3 years (1.5-3 years).
  
  
  RESULTS
  After adjustment for confounding factors, compared with no rapid weight gain, rapid weight gain during 0-1.5 years and 1.5-3 years or rapid weight gain during 1.5-3 years but not during 0-1.5 years significantly increased the odds ratio (OR) for overweight at age 9-10 years in boys (OR, 6.21; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.84-13.58 and OR, 3.31; 95% CI, 1.67-6.54, respectively) and girls (OR, 7.55; 95% CI, 2.99-19.07 and OR, 3.42; 95% CI, 1.38-8.49, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study suggests that rapid weight gain during early childhood was associated with being overweight in preadolescence, regardless of sex.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nanri
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shirasawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ochiai
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohtsu
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hoshino
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kokaze
mesh_terms: D017668:Age of Onset; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000502:physiology
keywords: childhood overweight; longitudinal study; rapid weight gain