Search

Objective. Although many studies have found that childhood levels of body mass index (BMI; kg/[m.sup.2]) are associated with adult levels, it has been reported that childhood BMI is not associated with adult adiposity. We further examined these longitudinal associations. Design. Cohort study based on examinations between 1973 and 1996. Setting. Bogalusa, Louisiana. Participants. Children (2610; ages 2-17 years old) who were followed to ages 18 to 37 years; the mean follow-up was 17.6 years. Main Outcome Measures. BMI-for-age and triceps skinfold thickness (SF) were measured in childhood. Subscapular and triceps SFs were measured among adults, and the mean SF was used as an adiposity index. Adult obesity was defined as a BMI [greather than or equal to] 30 kg/[m.sup.2] and adult overfat as a mean SF in the upper (gender-specific) quartile. Results. Childhood levels of both BMI and triceps SF were associated with adult levels of BMI and adiposity. The magnitude of these longitudinal associations increased with childhood age, but the BMI levels of even the youngest (ages 2-5 years) children were moderately associated (r = 0.33-0.41) with adult adiposity. Overweight (BMI-for-age [greater than or equal to] 95th centile) 2- to 5-year-olds were >4 times as likely to become overfat adults (15 of 23 [65%]), as were children with a BMI < 50th centile (30 of 201 [15%]). Even after accounting for the triceps SF of children, BMI-for-age provided additional information on adult adiposity. Conclusions. Childhood BMI is associated with adult adiposity, but it is possible that the magnitude of this association depends on the relative fatness of children. Pediatrics 2005;115:22-27; body mass index, obesity, adult adiposity, Bogalusa Heart Study, longitudinal study, skin folds., ABBREVIATIONS. BMI, body mass index; SF, skinfold thickness. Despite the limitations of weight-height indices, (1,2) they are widely used as indicators of adiposity. Several investigators have found that childhood body [...]

Objective. We quantified maternal misclassification of child weight status and examined determinants associated with maternal perceptions of child weight status. Methods. Data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988-1994) were used. The sample included 5500 children (aged 2-11 years) with maternal interview data. Maternal perceptions of children&apos;s weight status were compared with measured weights and statures from which body mass index (BMI; weight/[stature.sup.2]; kg/[m.sup.2]) percentiles and z scores were determined. Frequency analyses determined the percentages of mothers considering their child to be "overweight," "underweight," or "about the right weight." Multivariable logistic regression analyses determined predictors of maternal misclassification of overweight children ([greater than or equal to] 95th BMI-for-age percentile) and those at risk for overweight ([greater than or equal to] 85th to Results. Nearly one third (32.1%) of mothers reported their overweight child as "about the right weight." Younger children and those with lower BMI-for-age z scores had significantly greater odds of maternal under-classification of child overweight status. For children at risk for overweight, 14.0% of mothers reported sons to be "overweight," whereas 29.0% considered daughters to be "overweight." Odds of maternal misclassification of at-risk children as "overweight" were significantly greater for daughters, older children, children with higher BMI-for-age z scores, and children whose mothers had a lower BMI. Race/ethnicity was not a significant predictor in either model. Conclusions. Nearly one third of mothers misclassify overweight children as being lower than their measured weight status. Mothers are more likely to identify daughters who are at risk of overweight as being "overweight" than they are sons. Pediatrics 2003;111:1226-1231; maternal perception, child, overweight, obesity, weight status, body weight, mother-child relations., ABBREVIATIONS. NHANES III, Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; NCHS, National Center for Health Statistics; BMI, body mass index. The prevalence of [...]

Breast-feeding is important in the health and nutrition of children, particularly those from lower socioeconomic groups. An objective of the Georgia Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is to encourage breast-feeding among women participants. The rates of breast-feeding were assessed for 404 among 2,010 women who attended the WIC prenatal clinic in 1986 and gave birth in February 1987. The women were interviewed six months after childbirth. The results showed that 24 percent of women started breast-feeding, but only 6 percent continued to breast-feed for six months or longer. Women who started breast-feeding tended to have more education and tended to be married. Women who were married or living as married were three times more likely to breast-feed than women who were single or not living as married. The likelihood of breast-feeding was 5.2 times greater among the women with more than 12 years of education; 2.7 times greater for women with 12 years; and 2.5 times greater for women with 10 to 11 years, compared with women with nine or fewer years of education. Ethnic background, number of prior pregnancies, age, and employment status did not influence the decision to breast-feed in this low-income population. These findings of low incidence and short duration of breast-feeding indicate a need for the promotion of breast-feeding among women in this population. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Objective. To assess secular trends in menarcheal age between 1973 and 1994 and to determine whether childhood levels of height, weight, and skinfold thicknesses can account for racial (white/ black) differences in menarcheal age. Methods. Data from 7 cross-sectional examinations of school-aged children, with menarcheal age obtained through interviews, were used for both cross-sectional (11 218 observations) and longitudinal (n = 2058) analyses. In the latter analyses, the baseline examination was performed between ages 5.0 and 9.9 years, and the mean follow-up was 6 years. Results. Black girls experienced menarche, on average, 3 months earlier than did white girls (12.3 vs 12.6 years), and during the 20-year study period, the median menarcheal age decreased by approximately 9.5 months among black girls versus approximately 2 months among white girls. As compared with 5- to 9-year-old white girls, black girls were taller and weighed more, characteristics that were predictive of a relatively early (before age 11.0 years) menarche. However, even after adjustment for weight, height, and other characteristics, the rate of early menarche remained 1.4-fold higher among black girls than among white girls. Conclusions. Additional study of the determinants of menarcheal age is needed, as the timing of pubertal maturation may influence the risk of various diseases in adulthood. Pediatrics 2002;110(4). URL: http://www. pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/110/4/e43; menarche, obesity, blacks, height, secular trend.

Summarizes the results of studies which compared infant growth by different method of feeding in developing countries. Discussion on the effects of infant feeding on growth during and after the first six months of life; Review of the factors associated with growth faltering in the weaning period; Findings on the effect of prolonged breast feeding.

Discusses the factors associated with the relationship between breast feeding and infant nutrition. Information on physical growth and development; Results of studies on obesity; Cases of undernutrition and anemia.