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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 [...]

Background. Childhood obesity is related to adult levels of lipids, Upoproteins, blood pressure, and insulin and to morbidity from coronary heart disease (CHD). However, the importance of the age at which obesity develops in these associations remains uncertain. Objective and Design, We assessed the longitudinal relationship of childhood body mass index (BMI, kg/[m.sup.2]) to adult levels of lipids, insulin, and blood pressure among 2617 participants. All participants were initially examined at ages 2 to 17 years and were reexamined at ages 18 to 37 years; the mean follow-up was 17 years. Results. Of the overweight children (BMI [is greater than or equal to] 95th percentile), 77% remained obese ([is greater than or equal to] 30 kg/[m.sup.2]) as adults. Childhood overweight was related to adverse risk factor levels among adults, but associations were weak (r ~ 0.1-0.3) and were attributable to the strong persistence of weight status between childhood and adulthood. Although obese adults had adverse levels of lipids, insulin, and blood pressure, levels of these risk factors did not vary with childhood weight status or with the age ([is less than or equal to] 8 years, 12-17 years, or [is greater than or equal to] 18 years) of obesity onset. Conclusions. Additional data are needed to assess the independent relationship of childhood weight status to CHD morbidity. Because normal-weight children who become obese adults have adverse risk factor levels and probably will be at increased risk for adult morbidity, our results emphasize the need for both primary and secondary prevention. Pediatrics 2001;108:712-718; obesity, BMI, childhood, longitudinal, lipids, blood pressure, insulin., ABBREVIATIONS. CHD, coronary heart disease; BMI, body mass index; HDL, high-density lipoprotein. Childhood obesity is associated cross-sectionally with various risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD).[1,2] Several longitudinal associations have [...]

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.

Objective. In a previous study of the role of various predictors of adult obesity, we found that relatively tall children had a higher body mass index (BMI; kg/[m.sup.2]) in early adulthood. In this study, the objective was to determine whether childhood height is related to adult adiposity and whether the association is independent of childhood levels of BMI and triceps skinfold thickness. Methods. The longitudinal relations of childhood height to relative weight and skinfold (sum of subscapular and triceps) thicknesses in adulthood were examined in a larger sample (N = 1055) of 2- to 8-year-olds who were followed for an average of 18 years. Results. Compared with children whose heights were below the gender- and age-specific median, a child with a height-for-age above the 95th percentile (P) was approximately 2.5 times as likely to have a BMI [greater than or equal to] 30 kg/[m.sup.2] and approximately 5 times as likely to have a skinfold sum >90th P in adulthood. Although height and adiposity were associated (r = 0.29) among children, the observed longitudinal relations persisted after controlling for BMI and the triceps skinfold thickness in childhood. For example, among children with the same BMI, each 10-cm difference in height was associated with differences in adulthood of 0.9 kg/[m.sup.2] for BMI and 4 mm for the skinfold sum. Conclusions. Although these results need to be confirmed in other studies, it is possible that information on childhood height could be used to identify more accurately children who are likely to be obese in later life. Pediatrics 2002;109(2). URL: http://www.pediatrics.org/ cgi/content/full/109/2/e23; body mass index, skinfold thickness, children, longitudinal study, height, obesity.