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Background: Maternal pre-conception obesity is a strong risk factor for childhood overweight. However, prenatal mechanisms and their effects in susceptible gestational periods that contribute to this risk are not well understood. We aimed to assess the impact of late-pregnancy dysglycemia in obese pregnancies with negative testing for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) on long-term mother-child outcomes., Methods and Findings: The prospective cohort study Programming of Enhanced Adiposity Risk in Childhood-Early Screening (PEACHES) (n = 1,671) enrolled obese and normal weight mothers from August 2010 to December 2015 with trimester-specific data on glucose metabolism including GDM status at the end of the second trimester and maternal glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) at delivery as a marker for late-pregnancy dysglycemia (HbA1c ≥ 5.7% [39 mmol/mol]). We assessed offspring short- and long-term outcomes up to 4 years, and maternal glucose metabolism 3.5 years postpartum. Multivariable linear and log-binomial regression with effects presented as mean increments (Δ) or relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to examine the association between late-pregnancy dysglycemia and outcomes. Linear mixed-effects models were used to study the longitudinal development of offspring body mass index (BMI) z-scores. The contribution of late-pregnancy dysglycemia to the association between maternal pre-conception obesity and offspring BMI was estimated using mediation analysis. In all, 898 mother-child pairs were included in this unplanned interim analysis. Among obese mothers with negative testing for GDM (n = 448), those with late-pregnancy dysglycemia (n = 135, 30.1%) had higher proportions of excessive total gestational weight gain (GWG), excessive third-trimester GWG, and offspring with large-for-gestational-age birth weight than those without. Besides higher birth weight (Δ 192 g, 95% CI 100-284) and cord-blood C-peptide concentration (Δ 0.10 ng/ml, 95% CI 0.02-0.17), offspring of these women had greater weight gain during early childhood (Δ BMI z-score per year 0.18, 95% CI 0.06-0.30, n = 262) and higher BMI z-score at 4 years (Δ 0.58, 95% CI 0.18-0.99, n = 43) than offspring of the obese, GDM-negative mothers with normal HbA1c values at delivery. Late-pregnancy dysglycemia in GDM-negative mothers accounted for about one-quarter of the association of maternal obesity with offspring BMI at age 4 years (n = 151). In contrast, childhood BMI z-scores were not affected by a diagnosis of GDM in obese pregnancies (GDM-positive: 0.58, 95% CI 0.36-0.79, versus GDM-negative: 0.62, 95% CI 0.44-0.79). One mechanism triggering late-pregnancy dysglycemia in obese, GDM-negative mothers was related to excessive third-trimester weight gain (RR 1.72, 95% CI 1.12-2.65). Furthermore, in the maternal population, we found a 4-fold (RR 4.01, 95% CI 1.97-8.17) increased risk of future prediabetes or diabetes if obese, GDM-negative women had a high versus normal HbA1c at delivery (absolute risk: 43.2% versus 10.5%). There is a potential for misclassification bias as the predominantly used GDM test procedure changed over the enrollment period. Further studies are required to validate the findings and elucidate the possible third-trimester factors contributing to future mother-child health status., Conclusions: Findings from this interim analysis suggest that offspring of obese mothers treated because of a diagnosis of GDM appeared to have a better BMI outcome in childhood than those of obese mothers who-following negative GDM testing-remained untreated in the last trimester and developed dysglycemia. Late-pregnancy dysglycemia related to uncontrolled weight gain may contribute to the development of child overweight and maternal diabetes. Our data suggest that negative GDM testing in obese pregnancies is not an "all-clear signal" and should not lead to reduced attention and risk awareness of physicians and obese women. Effective strategies are needed to maintain third-trimester glycemic and weight gain control among otherwise healthy obese pregnant women., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: We investigated whether obese pregnant women negative for gestational diabetes (GDM) still experience dysglycemia, as indicated by high glycated hemoglobin (Hb A1c) at delivery, and whether this impacts offspring and long-term maternal outcomes., Methods: Data of 462 mother-child pairs of our prospective Programming of Enhanced Adiposity Risk in Childhood - Early Screening (PEACHES) cohort study were analyzed. Of 885 obese and normal-weight pregnancies prospectively enrolled after GDM testing according to the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups criteria, 462 GDM-negative mothers and their offspring were investigated. We assessed associations of maternal Hb A1c at delivery with large-for-gestational-age (LGA) birth weights, cord-blood C-peptide, and biomarkers of glucose metabolism and inflammation in obese mothers followed for 2.9 years (median) postpartum (n = 42)., Results: Cumulative distribution analysis in GDM-negative normal-weight women (n = 155) revealed that 12% had Hb A1c ≥5.7% at delivery (high Hb A1c). Among obese GDM-negative women (n = 307), 31.9% (95% CI, 26.7%-37.4%) equaled or exceeded this cutoff. In obese GDM-negative women with Hb A1c ≥5.7% (n = 98) vs <5.7% (n = 209) at delivery, newborns were more likely to be born LGA [adjusted odds ratio 3.56 (95% CI, 1.64-8.02)], and mean cordblood serum C-peptide was increased by 0.09 ng/mL (95% CI, 0.01-0.17 ng/mL). In the mothers at follow-up, mean postpartum Hb A1c, fasting glucose, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and fibrinogen concentrations were higher by 0.3% (95% CI, 0.1%-0.5%), 6.0 mg/dL (95% CI, 2.4-9.5 mg/dL), 6.8 mg/L (95% CI, 1.4-12.3 mg/L), and 74.9 mg/dL (95% CI, 13.6-136.2 mg/dL), respectively., Conclusions: Increased Hb A1c in obese GDM-negative women at delivery indicates gestational dysglycemia, potentially conferring offspring and long-term maternal health risks. These findings should raise awareness as to careful monitoring of obese pregnancies. Measurement of Hb A1c at delivery could help select women who may need closer postpartum health checks., (© 2015 American Association for Clinical Chemistry.)

Objective: To assess the prognostic validity of the Institute of Medicine/National Research Council (IOM/NRC) week-specific cutoff values for inadequate or excessive total gestational weight gain (GWG) by 4-week intervals., Study Design: We merged data from two German cohorts (LMU cohort (all maternal-weight categories) and PEACHES cohort (obese women)) to provide information on GWG for 749 women (365 normal weight, 199 overweight and 185 obese). We calculated the prognostic values for suboptimal and excessive GWG according to the IOM/NRC cutoff values., Result: The positive predictive values for excessive total GWG for those who experienced excessive GWG early in pregnancy was 70.1% (95% confidence interval (CI) 60.5; 78.6) as of week 12/1 to 16/0 in normal-weight women, 89.5% (95% CI 75.2; 97.1) and 95.2 (76.2; 99.9) 95.2% (95% CI 76.2; 99.9) as of week 8/1 to 12/0 for overweight and obese women, respectively. In absence of excessive GWG as of week 12/1 to 16/0, normal-weight women had 77.5% (95% CI 77.1; 83.1) probability of not experiencing excessive total GWG (negative predictive value). In overweight and obese women, the negative predictive value was considerably lower up to week 24/1 to 28/0 (60.0% (95% CI 48.8; 70.5) in week 20/1 to 24/0 and 50.6% (95% CI 39.3; 61.9) in week 24/1 to 28/0). Most women with inadequate GWG in the first and second trimester had adequate total final GWG (positive predictive value for total inadequate GWG <50% up to week 16/1 to 20/0 in all groups)., Conclusion: As women with excessive weight gain can be identified with high confidence if the GWG exceeds the IOM/NRC week-specific cutoff values, interventions may be initiated early in pregnancy.

Background: Excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) is associated with short- and long-term health problems among mothers and their offspring. There is a strong need for effective intervention strategies targeting excessive GWG to prevent adverse outcomes., Methods: We performed a cluster-randomized controlled intervention trial in eight gynecological practices evaluating the feasibility and effectiveness of a lifestyle intervention presented to all pregnant women; 250 healthy, pregnant women were recruited for the study. The intervention program consisted of two individually delivered counseling sessions focusing on diet, physical activity, and weight monitoring. The primary outcome was the proportion of pregnant women exceeding weight gain recommendations of the Institute of Medicine (IOM). Secondary outcome variables were maternal weight retention and short-term obstetric and neonatal outcomes., Results: The intervention resulted in a lower proportion of women exceeding IOM guidelines among women in the intervention group (38%) compared with the control group (60%) (odds ratio (OR): 0.5; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.3 to 0.9) without prompting an increase in the proportion of pregnancies with suboptimal weight gain (19% vs. 21%). Participants in the intervention group gained significantly less weight than those in the control group. Only 17% of the women in the intervention group showed substantial weight retention of more than 5 kg compared with 31% of those in the control group at month four postpartum (pp) (OR: 0.5; 95% CI: 0.2 to 0.9). There were no significant differences in obstetric and neonatal outcomes., Conclusions: Lifestyle counseling given to pregnant women reduced the proportion of pregnancies with excessive GWG without increasing suboptimal weight gain, and may exert favorable effects on pp weight retention., Trial Registration: German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00003801.

What Is Already Known About This Subject: Gestational weight gain is a modifiable risk factor for childhood overweight., What This Study Adds: Exceeding the recommended gestational weight gain increases the risk for childhood overweight by about 30%. Interventions to avoid excessive weight gain are needed., Background: Overweight and obesity in children are thought to be related to prenatal priming. Gestational weight gain (GWG) might be a potential modifiable risk factor for childhood overweight., Objective: To quantify the associations of inadequate and excessive GWG with childhood overweight., Methods: The electronic literature search in six databases was complemented by a hand search for relevant articles. Papers were selected and quality was assessed. The effect estimates of the individual studies were pooled using a random-effects model., Results: The literature search yielded 1492 results in total, of which seven observational studies met the inclusion criteria. The studies had medium to good quality. The pooled estimate for the association between excessive GWG and childhood overweight yielded an odds ratio (OR) of 1.38 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.21-1.57). The association between inadequate GWG and childhood overweight yielded an OR of 0.91 (95% CI: 0.85-0.98)., Conclusion: These data provide evidence for at least a 21% risk for childhood overweight related to excessive GWG. Therefore, further efforts to design appropriate interventions against excessive GWG may appear warranted., (© 2012 The Authors. Pediatric Obesity © 2012 International Association for the Study of Obesity.)

Unlabelled: What is already known about this subject? A considerable increase in the prevalence of overweight during the primary school years (7-11 years) has been reported. What this study adds? This reflects lower remission rates of excess body fat (i.e. the proportion of shifts from excess to normal body fat) between the ages of 7 and 11 years as compared with nearly balanced incidence and remission rates of excess body fat between the ages of 3 and 7 years., Objective: This study aimed to compare the age-specific balance between incidence and remission of excess body fat between the ages of 3-7 and 7-11 years using the data from a longitudinal study., Design: Longitudinal analysis based on the data from the Dortmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed (DONALD) Study, an ongoing, open cohort study in healthy children, conducted in Dortmund, Germany. Excess body fat was defined by the sum of triceps and subscapular skin-fold measurements above the 90th reference percentile of the new German standard; overweight was defined using different national and international standards. The main outcome parameters were incidence and remission rates of excess body fat (n = 496) and overweight (n = 518) between the ages of 3 and 7 years and between the ages of 7 and 11 years., Results: The incidence rates of excess skin-fold thickness between the ages of 3 and 7 years (4.2 [2.4, 6.2]%) and between the ages of 7 and 11 years (4.3 [2.6, 6.2]%) were almost identical. By contrast, remission rates were significantly lower during the age period of 7-11 years (primary school age) than during the age period of 3-7 years (pre-school age): 37.5 (21.9, 53.1%) compared with 72.3 (59.6, 85.1%)., Conclusions: These data point to the low remission of excess body fat as an important driving force for the increasing prevalence of excess body fat in children between the ages of 7 and 11 years. Public health initiatives in children should encompass both primary prevention and interventions targeted at children already overweight at school entry., (© 2012 The Authors. Pediatric Obesity © 2012 International Association for the Study of Obesity.)

Unlabelled: Sleep duration has been identified as risk factor for obesity already in children. Besides investigating the role of fat mass (FM), this study addressed the question whether endocrine mechanisms act as intermediates in the association between sleep duration and overweight/obesity. Within the framework of the IDEFICS study, the present research was conducted in 609 German resident children aged 2-9 years with information on fasting insulin, C-reactive protein and cortisol levels next to anthropometric measurements and parental questionnaires. Emphasising methodological aspects, an age-specific measure of sleep duration was derived to account for alteration in sleep duration during childhood/period of growth. Multivariate linear regression and quantile regression models confirmed an inverse relationship between sleep duration and measures of overweight/obesity. The estimate for the association of sleep duration and body mass index (BMI) was approximately halved after adjustment for FM, but remained significant. The strength of this association was also markedly attenuated when adjusting for insulin mainly for the upper BMI quantiles (Q80, β = -0.36 vs. β = -0.26; Q95, β = -0.87 vs. β = -0.47). Adjustment for cortisol and CrP did not yield this attenuation., Conclusion: The inverse relationship between sleep duration and BMI is mainly explained by the association between sleep duration and FM. Insulin may explain part of this association, in particular at the upper tail of the BMI distribution.

Background: It is unknown how well the trimester-specific recommendations for gestational weight gain (GWG) given by the Institute of Medicine/National Research Council (IOM/NRC) identify women at risk of GWG outside IOM/NRC recommendations for total GWG., Objective: We assessed the prognostic value of trimester-specific cutoffs for inadequate or excessive total GWG in term pregnancies., Design: Data on prepregnancy weight and the temporal course of GWG were collected from medical records. A total of 7962 women were included in the final analysis. Main outcome measures were inadequate or excessive total GWG as defined by criteria of the IOM/NRC. Main exposures were GWG outside the IOM/NRC week-specific recommendations in the first, second, and third trimesters., Results: The prediction of gaining weight within the GWG recommendations increased with gestational age and was related to the maternal weight category and outcome. In the second trimester, inadequate GWG was predicted with a sensitivity of 49% and 60.2% and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 72.1% and 68.3% in underweight and normal-weight mothers, respectively. Excessive GWG was predicted with a sensitivity of 72.7% and 70.4% and a PPV of 94.3% and 93.3% in overweight and obese mothers, respectively., Conclusions: On the basis of second-trimester-specific guidelines, inadequate GWG can be predicted in underweight and normal-weight mothers, whereas excessive GWG can be predicted in overweight and obese mothers. Therefore, it appears possible to identify women at risk of gaining outside of the guideline as early as the second trimester.

Background: School entry marks a tremendous change in the children's life style, which might well be relevant for the emergence of overweight. Previous studies suggested a dramatic increase in the prevalence of overweight during this age., Objective: To compare the age-specific balance between the incidence and remission of overweight between pre-school and primary school age children., Design: We combined the data of three studies that had been conducted within the setting of the compulsory school entry health examination in different parts of Germany: one covering retrospective cohort data from age 2 to school entry (n=5045), one prospective data from school entry to fourth grade (n=1235) and one comprising both (n=1194). We assessed the rates of incidence and remission of overweight and obesity from age 2 to school entry and from school entry to fourth grade., Results: In pre-school age, the pooled incidence for overweight was 8.2% (95% confidence interval: 7.5, 8.9) compared with a remission rate of 62.6% (58.4, 66.7), yielding a prevalence at school entry of 10.7% (9.9, 11.5). In primary school age, the pooled incidence for overweight increased to 14.6% (13.1, 16.1), whereas the remission rate was reduced to 17.7% (13.8, 22.3), yielding a prevalence of 23.7% (22.0, 25.4) in fourth grade. A similar pattern was observed for obesity., Conclusions: While high remission rates balance incident overweight in pre-school years, the dramatic increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in primary school years reflects a higher incidence and even more a lower remission rate. Obesity prevention programs in primary school age are mandatory and need to address primary and secondary prevention elements.

Background: While the association of gestational diabetes mellitus and abnormal glucose tolerance is beyond doubt, its associations with other cardiovascular disease risk factors in the offspring are less clearly established. Some of these associations, in particular overweight in the offspring, might be confounded by maternal overweight., Methods: Data on 12,542 children in the age of 3-17 years with full information about gestational diabetes mellitus and maternal BMI were available from the German nationwide KiGGS study. We calculated linear and logistic regression models for measurements of body composition, blood pressure, HbA(1c) and cholesterol values in the offspring with gestational diabetes mellitus as the explanatory variable, with and without adjustment for maternal BMI., Results: The prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus in the dataset was 2.2%. Unadjusted regression analyses suggested weak positive effects of gestational diabetes mellitus on body composition measurements [e.g. a mean increase in BMI standard deviation scores (SDS) of 0.17 units (95% confidence interval: 0.03, 0.30)]. After adjustment for maternal BMI, the observed associations almost disappeared [e.g. BMI SDS: 0.07 (-0.06, 0.20)]. With respect to blood pressure and cholesterol, no potential effects of gestational diabetes mellitus were observed in both unadjusted and adjusted models., Conclusion: Gestational diabetes mellitus does not appear to have a relevant effect on cardiovascular disease correlates such as blood pressure or cholesterol levels in children, and the potential effect of gestational diabetes mellitus on body composition seems to be widely explainable by maternal BMI., (© 2011 The Authors. Diabetic Medicine © 2011 Diabetes UK.)

This study aimed to (i) gain insight in the prevalence of overweight indices in European preschoolers (4-7 years); (ii) identify energy balance-related behaviours associated with overweight/obesity; and (iii) identify children at risk for overweight/obesity. Secondary analyses of six European data sets were conducted according to standardized protocols. Based on objectively measured height and weight, prevalence of overweight and obesity across the countries ranged from 8% to 30% and 1% to 13%, respectively, with highest rates in Southern European countries (i.e. Spain and Greece). Positive associations between sedentary behaviours and overweight indices were found. Physical activity and dietary behaviours were not associated, possibly because of methodological limitations. Children of parents with high body mass index or low socioeconomic status were at increased risk of overweight/obesity. In conclusion, large differences in prevalence of overweight and obesity among preschoolers across Europe were observed. Future obesity prevention interventions in preschoolers should target screen time giving specific attention to children from overweight and/or low socioeconomic status parents. There is a need for high methodological quality studies, preferably with a long-term prospective design using sensitive, valid and reliable measures of behaviours, assessing whether and which physical activity and dietary behaviours are associated with overweight in preschoolers., (© 2012 The Authors. obesity reviews © 2012 International Association for the Study of Obesity.)

An increased prevalence of childhood overweight has been observed worldwide over the past decades, which indicates the need for strategies to prevent obesity. There is some evidence that risk of obesity is primed by exposures early in life. Among other factors, breastfeeding has been hypothesized as a potential priming factor against overweight. Although the properties of human milk suggest possible mechanisms for a protective effect of breastfeeding compared with formula feeding with respect to later overweight, empirical evidence is more difficult to establish. This article reviews the available epidemiologic literature on this topic. Several observational studies have shown evidence for a small protective effect with respect to overweight in childhood. Three meta-analyses reported significant protective effects of breastfeeding against overweight in later life, whereas another meta-analysis showed no effect of breastfeeding on mean body mass index (BMI) after adjustment for confounding factors. These seemingly inconsistent results might potentially be explained by different effects of breastfeeding in normal-weight compared with overweight children. Evidence from interventional studies is limited. A randomized trial failed to confirm an effect of a breastfeeding promotion on children's BMI, but this trial lacked statistical power because rates of breastfeeding were relatively similar in the intervention and control groups. In conclusion, protective priming effects of breastfeeding on later overweight appear to be possible but are difficult to prove. Although observational studies have to deal with confounding issues, interventional studies on breastfeeding promotion may lack power.

Background: Gestational weight gain (GWG) is known to be a potential risk factor for short-term postpartum weight retention (PPWR) and thus for overweight in women. Does GWG also determine the long-term risk of overweight in women?, Objective: We aimed to study the short- and long-term effects of GWG in accordance with the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations on postpartum weight retention., Design: We systematically reviewed 5 databases and bibliographies of various publications supplemented by hand search for relevant articles published in English or German and performed meta-analyses to quantify the effect estimate of PPWR by using a random-effects model. We split the data into 4 categories of follow-up: <0.5, 0.5-1, ∼3, and ≥15 y., Results: Of 1770 search hits, 9 observational studies remained suitable for the analysis. PPWR increased after longer time spans after delivery irrespective of whether GWG had been below, within, or above the guidelines. Compared with women with GWG within the recommendations, those with a GWG above the recommendations retained an additional 3.06 kg (95% CI: 1.50, 4.63 kg) after 3 y and 4.72 kg (95% CI: 2.94, 6.50 kg) on average after ≥15 y postpartum. Inadequate GWG was associated with less PPWR (-2.99 kg; 95% CI: -3.72, -2.27 kg) <6 mo after pregnancy. This association faded over time and became nonsignificant (-1.41 kg; 95% CI: -3.03, 0.21 kg) after ≥15 y. The results remained stable in sensitivity analyses that accounted for changes in IOM criteria over time and potential effect modification by low social class. A funnel plot did not suggest publication bias., Conclusion: GWG in accordance with the IOM recommendations is associated with long-term effects on PPWR.

Stable tracking of body composition is a prerequisite for the long-term effect of preventive measures against obesity and its harmful effects. As BMI tracking estimates reported by individual studies vary considerably, we performed a meta-regression analysis to provide a summary estimate and to assess determinants of BMI tracking. Using the Medline and EMBASE databases, a systematic review was conducted to identify publications reporting correlation coefficients as tracking estimates between BMI at baseline and follow-up measurements and the time interval between these measurements. Additional information recorded included age at baseline measurement, gender, and origin of the studied population. Based on the extracted data, a meta-regression analysis was performed using mixed effects models to account for multiple measurements of the same cohorts. Data on 55,072 individuals (797,094 person-years) extracted from 48 publications with follow-up times between 0.5 and 44 years entered the analysis. The overall estimates for the 1-year tracking correlation coefficient were strong (r = 0.78-0.86 depending on age at baseline measurement) and gradually decreasing over time (0.67-0.78 after 10 years, and 0.27-0.47 after 30 years). Study origin classified by continent was another significant predictor of BMI tracking whereas gender was not. In conclusion, this meta-regression analysis showed a high degree of BMI tracking across all age groups investigated and independent of BMI. Successful prevention in weight control is likely to have long term effects at any age, thereby being beneficial with respect to the associated risks of over- and underweight.

Background: Genetic factors are important determinants of overweight. We examined whether there are differential effect sizes depending on children's body composition., Methods: We analysed data of n = 4,837 children recorded in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), applying quantile regression with sex- and age-specific standard deviation scores (SDS) of body mass index (BMI) or with body fat mass index and fat-free mass index at 9 years as outcome variables and an "obesity-risk-allele score" based on eight genetic variants known to be associated with childhood BMI as the explanatory variable., Results: The quantile regression coefficients increased with increasing child's BMI-SDS and fat mass index percentiles, indicating larger effects of the genetic factors at higher percentiles. While the associations with BMI-SDS were of similar size in medium and high BMI quantiles (40th percentile and above), effect sizes with fat mass index increased over the whole fat mass index distribution. For example, the fat mass index of a normal-weight (50th percentile) child was increased by 0.13 kg/m(2) (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.09, 0.16) per additional allele, compared to 0.24 kg/m(2) per allele (95% CI: 0.15, 0.32) in children at the 90th percentile. The genetic associations with fat-free mass index were weaker and the quantile regression effects less pronounced than those on fat mass index., Conclusions: Genetic risk factors for childhood overweight appear to have greater effects on fatter children. Interaction of known genetic factors with environmental or unknown genetic factors might provide a potential explanation of these findings.

Background: We recently showed that in preschoolers risk factors for overweight show stronger associations with BMI in children with high BMI values. However, it is unclear whether these findings might also pertain to adolescents., Methods: We extracted data on 3-10 year-old (n = 7,237) and 11-17 year-old (n = 5,986) children from a representative cross-sectional German health survey (KiGGS) conducted between 2003 and 2006 and calculated quantile regression models for each age group. We used z-scores of children's body mass index (BMI) as outcome variable and maternal BMI, maternal smoking in pregnancy, low parental socioeconomic status, exclusive formula-feeding and high TV viewing time as explanatory variables., Results: In both age groups, the estimated effects of all risk factors except formula-feeding on BMI z-score were greatest for children with the highest BMI z-score. The median BMI z-score of 11-17 year-old children with high TV viewing time, for example, was 0.11 [95% CI: 0.03, 0.19] units higher than the median BMI z-score of teenage children with low TV viewing time. This risk factor was associated with an average difference of 0.18 [0.06, 0.30] units at the 90(th) percentile of BMI z-score and of 0.20 [0.07, 0.33] units at the 97(th) percentile., Conclusions: We confirmed that risk factors for childhood overweight are associated with greater shifts in the upper parts of the children's BMI distribution than in the middle and lower parts. These findings pertain also to teenagers and might possibly help to explain the secular shift in the upper BMI percentiles in children and adolescents.

One component of the recent obesity epidemic is the sedentary behaviour of children and adolescents e.g., use of video games consoles. The new generation of video games requires body movements and might thus increase activity. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether such games could have an effect on physical activity in obese adolescents in a clinical setting. Between March and May 2007 activity-promoting video games ("apvg") were offered to all 84 inpatients (aged 13-28 years) registered in a long-term rehabilitation programme on a voluntary base. Reasons for (non-)attendance were assessed. Frequency and duration of use of the activity-promoting video game sessions were documented. Furthermore, heart rate and activity counts during use of "apvg", endurance training, and strength training were measured. Of 84 inpatients, 51 used the "apvg" at least once (69%) over the study period. The median weekly use of the intervention was 27 min during the first week (range 0-182 min), declining to zero (range 0-74 min) in week four. Mean heart rate during the sessions (mean 115 bpm; 95% confidence interval 108-122 bpm) was similar to the heart rate during strength training (106 bpm; 101-112 bpm). The results indicate that the video games could have an impact on the activity of obese adolescents and young adults. However, as the interest in the devices seems to be too low the suitability of them for weight reduction programmes in young people cannot be ensured., (Copyright © 2010 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) increases the risk of a number of adverse pregnancy outcomes and was recently identified as a potential risk factor for childhood obesity. It is therefore of interest whether GWG can be modified by an intervention combining dietary counseling and physical activity., Objective: The objective was to review published data on interventions to reduce GWG by modulating diet and physical activity during pregnancy., Design: We systematically reviewed 4 databases and bibliographies of various publications supplemented by a hand-search for relevant articles published in English or German and performed a meta-analysis to quantify the effect estimate by a random-effects model., Results: Four randomized controlled trials and 5 nonrandomized trials with a total of 1549 women enrolled were identified as being relevant. Meta-analyses of all 9 trials indicated a lower GWG in the intervention groups, with a standardized mean difference of -0.22 units (95% CI: -0.38, -0.05 units). We observed no indication for publication bias., Conclusions: Interventions based on physical activity and dietary counseling, usually combined with supplementary weight monitoring, appear to be successful in reducing GWG. The results are of particular interest with respect to the objective of preventing excessive GWG.

Metabolic factors acting during limited and sensitive time periods of pre- and postnatal development can induce lasting effects on health and disease risk in later life up to old age, including later obesity risk, which is referred to as early metabolic programming of long-term health. Three meta-analyses of observational studies found that obesity risk at school age was reduced with early breastfeeding compared to formula feeding. We assumed that breastfeeding protects against later obesity by reducing the occurrence of high weight gain in infancy and that one causative factor is the lower protein content of human milk compared to usual infant formulas (the "early protein hypothesis"). We are testing this hypothesis in the European Childhood Obesity Project, a double-blind, randomized clinical trial enrolling 1,678 infants in five countries (Belgium, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain). We have randomized healthy infants born at term to receive for the first year infant formula and follow-on formula with higher or lower protein contents, respectively. The follow-up data obtained at age 2 years indicates that feeding formula with reduced protein content normalizes early growth relative to a breastfed reference group and the current WHO growth standard, which may furnish a significant long-term protection against later obesity. We conclude that infant feeding practice has a high potential for long-term health effects. The results obtained should stimulate the review of recommendations and policies for infant formula composition.

Study Objectives: To assess the association between sleep duration in children and different markers of body fat by age and weight status., Design: Nation-wide health survey. Measurement of BMI and body fat percentage (KFA) calculated from weight, height, skin fold thickness, age, and sex. Sleep duration and potential confounding variables were assessed in a parent questionnaire., Setting: N/A., Participants: 7767 German resident children from 3 to 10 years of age., Interventions: N/A., Measurements and Results: Prolongation of sleep duration from the lowest to the highest percentile accounted for a similar mean decrease founding variables and did not show a systematic age dependency. The greatest effects of sleep duration were seen for the upper tails of the BMI and KFA distributions, which were about four as high as the lower tails., Conclusions: The association between sleep duration and weight status is of similar size through ages 3 to 10 years. The sleep-associated changes in BMI are likely to be a consequence of higher body fat and primarily affect children whose BMI or KFA is already elevated. These findings favor hormonal pathways nurturing adipose tissue playing a key role in the underlying physiological mechanisms.

Objective: Physical activity is an important determinant of energy balance. However, its impact on overweight/obesity has proved difficult to measure in pre-school children and few studies have found significant associations. A set of simple questions was used to distinguish pre-school children with high and low physical activity, and the association of this classification with childhood overweight/obesity and performance in an established motor test was investigated., Design: Survey, cross-sectional., Setting and Subjects: Weight and height were measured in 12,556 children taking part in the obligatory school entrance health examination 2004-5 and 2005-6 in three urban and three rural Bavarian regions. Their parents were asked to answer a questionnaire with a set of questions on physical activity., Results: The mean age of the children evaluated was 5.78 (sd 0.43) years, 6535 (52.1 %) were boys. Physically active children were less likely to be overweight (OR = 0.786, 95 % CI 0.687, 0.898) or obese (OR = 0.655, 95 % CI 0.506, 0.849) and achieved 6.7 (95 % CI 5.8, 7.7) % more jumps per 30 s than less active children in a motor test, adjusted for a number of potentially confounding variables., Conclusions: Classification of pre-school children as physically active or not, based on a small set of questions, revealed significant associations with overweight/obesity and a motor test. Once further validated, this classification might provide a valuable tool to assess the impact of physical activity on the risk of childhood overweight and obesity.

Since the concept of lasting programming effects on disease risk in human adults by the action of hormones, metabolites, and neurotransmitters during sensitive periods of early development was proposed >3 decades ago, ample supporting evidence has evolved from epidemiologic and experimental studies and clinical trials. For example, numerous studies have reported programming effects of infant feeding choices on later obesity. Three meta-analyses of observational studies found that obesity risk at school age was reduced by 15-25% with early breastfeeding compared with formula feeding. We proposed that breastfeeding protects against later obesity by reducing the occurrence of high weight gain in infancy and that one causative factor is the lower protein content of human milk compared with most infant formula (the early protein hypothesis). We are testing this hypothesis in the European Childhood Obesity Project, a double-blind, randomized clinical trial that includes >1000 infants in 5 countries (Belgium, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Spain). We randomly assigned healthy infants who were born at term to receive for the first year infant formula and follow-on formula with higher or lower protein contents, respectively. The follow-up data obtained at age 2 y indicate that feeding formula with reduced protein content normalizes early growth relative to a breastfed reference group and the new World Health Organization growth standard, which may furnish a significant long-term protection against later obesity. We conclude that infant feeding practice has a high potential for long-term health effects, and the results obtained should stimulate the review of recommendations and policies for infant formula composition.

Background & Aims: To assess the effects of a low cost behavioral prevention program in a preschool setting., Methods: 64 Kindergartens in 4 Bavarian regions were randomly assigned as intervention or controls in a 2:1 ratio. Samples of 1318 and 1340 children examined in the school entrance health examination at 5.7+/-2.6 and 17.6+/-2.3 months (mean+/-standard deviation for first and second sample) after the start of the program were analysed., Measurements: Main outcome measures were the prevalence of high fruit and vegetable consumption, low consumption of high caloric drinks assessed in parental questionnaires, overweight and obesity, and secondary, further dietary habits and results of motoric testing., Results: The program led to an increased proportion of children with high fruit and vegetable consumption already after 6 months, which was sustainable with adjusted odds ratios of 1.59 (1.26: 2.01) and 1.48 (1.08: 2.03) after 18 months. Subgroup analyses by gender, overweight and parental education, performed in order to assess consistency of effects, showed similar results. Prevalence of overweight and obesity as well as motoric testing results were not statistically different between intervention and control groups., Conclusion: This low cost setting based behavioral intervention achieved sustainable effects on fruit and vegetable consumption in young children 18 months after the start of the intervention and showed effects also in the high risk groups of children from families with lower education levels, and children already overweight.

Objective: In a recent study meal frequency was inversely related to childhood obesity. To assess an inverse association between meal frequency and childhood obesity with particular focus on breakfast consumption., Methods: Anthropometric data on 4,642 children aged 5 to 6 years were obtained in 5 Bavarian public health offices (Germany) during the obligatory school entry health examination in 2004/2005. An extensive questionnaire on risk factors for childhood obesity was answered by their parents. Obesity was defined according to sex- and age-specific body mass index (BMI) cut-off points, recommended by the International Obesity Task Force. Main exposures were meal frequency and breakfast consumption., Results: The prevalence of obesity decreased by number of daily meals: 3 or less, 5% (95%CI 4 to 6%), 4 meals, 3% (95%CI 2 to 4%) and 5 or more meals 2% (95%CI 2 to 4%) (trend test p < 0.05). After adjustment for sociodemographic and constitutional factors odds ratios (OR) for obesity were 0.71 (95%CI, 0.50 to 1.01) for 4 meals and 0.57 (95%CI 0.37 to 0.88) for 5 or more meals, compared with 3 or less daily meals. The OR was 0.72 (95%CI 0.58 to 0.90) per additional meal. Additional adjustment for regular breakfast only marginally changed the OR of meal frequency on obesity to 0.75 (95%CI 0.60 to 0.95) per additional meal., Conclusions: High meal frequency was inversely associated with childhood obesity. This association was not explained by potential confounders or regular breakfast consumption. These findings support the hypothesis of an independent protective impact of frequent daily meals other than breakfast on childhood obesity.

Some 30 years ago, Günter Dörner proposed that exposure to hormones, metabolites and neurotransmitters during limited, sensitive periods of early development exert programming effects on disease risk in human adults. Early programming of long term health has since received broad scientific support and attention. For example, evidence increases for programming effects of infant feeding choices on later obesity risk. Meta-analyses of observational studies indicate that breast feeding reduces the odds ratio for obesity at school age by about 20%, relative to formula feeding, even after adjustment for biological and sociodemographic confounding variables. We hypothesized that breast feeding protects against later obesity by reducing the likelihood of high weight gain in infancy, and that this protection is caused at least partly by the lower protein supply with breast milk relative to standard infant formulae (the "Early Protein Hypothesis"). These hypotheses are tested in the European Childhood Obesity Project, a randomized double blind intervention trial in more than 1,000 infants in five European countries (Belgium, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain). Formula fed infants were randomized to receive during the first year of life infant formulae and follow-on-formulae with higher or lower protein contents. Follow-up at 2 years of age shows that lower protein supply with formula normalizes early growth relative to a breast fed reference group and to the WHO growth reference. These results demonstrate that modification of infant feeding practice has an important potential for long-term health promotion and should prompt a review of the recommendations and policies for infant formula composition.

Objectives: To contribute to the early risk identification of adult obesity, the anthropometric development in the first 23 years of life as a potential predictor for adult obesity was assessed. To identify the period (7-11 years, 11-16 years and 16-23 years) and type of anthropometric measure difference (weight, height and body mass index (BMI) gains) accounting for the best prediction of obesity at 33 years., Subjects/methods: A total of 4952 members of the 1958 British birth cohort with full information on anthropometric measures. Follow-up examinations at 7, 11, 16, 23 and 33 years were analyzed with receiver-operating characteristics (ROCs)., Results: Overall 505 cohort members (10.2%) were obese at 33 years. BMI and weight gains between 7 and 11 years were the best-observed predictors for obesity at 33 years with an area under the ROC curve of 0.72 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.69; 0.74) and 0.73 (95% CI: 0.71; 0.76), respectively. Height gain failed as a significant predictor at any lifetime interval. BMI gain between 7 and 11 years yielded a positive predictive value of 20% (95% CI: 19; 21) compared to 19% (95% CI: 18; 20) for weight gain. The prediction of BMI and weight gains between 7 and 11 years seemed to be unrelated to sex and the onset of puberty., Conclusions: High weight or BMI gain from 7 to 11 years should be considered as risk factor of later obesity. These predictors combined with others might allow for targeting preventive measures at a high-risk sub-population.

Background: Previous studies reported an increase of upper body mass index (BMI) quantiles for formula fed infants compared to breastfed infants, while corresponding mean differences were low. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of known risk factors for childhood obesity on the BMI distribution., Methods: Data on 4,884 children were obtained at obligatory school entry health examinations in Bavaria (Germany). Exposure variables were formula feeding, maternal smoking in pregnancy, excessive TV-watching, low meal frequency, poor parental education, maternal overweight and high infant weight gain. Cumulative BMI distributions and Tukey mean-difference plots were used to assess possible shifts of BMI distributions by exposure., Results: Maternal overweight and high infant weight gain shifted the entire BMI-distribution with an accentuation on upper quantiles to higher BMI values. In contrast, parental education, formula feeding, high TV consumption, low meal frequency and maternal smoking in pregnancy resulted in a shift of upper quantiles only., Conclusion: The single shifts among upper parts of the BMI distribution might be due to effect modification of the corresponding exposures by another environmental exposure or genetic predisposition. Affected individuals might represent a susceptible subpopulation of the exposed.

Background: The concept of priming of childhood obesity by prenatal exposure to maternal smoking is based on a number of consistent studies. A recent paper found similar associations between paternal smoking and childhood obesity, questioning the presumed causal effect attributed to the prenatal exposure. Is the relation to paternal smoking consistent? Does it explain the effect of maternal smoking before or in pregnancy?, Methods: Data from a cross sectional study on 5899 children in the setting of the 2005 school entrance health examinations in Bavaria were analysed. Associations between paternal smoking or maternal smoking before or in pregnancy and childhood obesity were assessed with adjustment for potential confounders., Results: The children's mean age was 5.8 years. The unadjusted odds ratio for obesity and paternal smoking was 2.0 (95% CI: 1.5, 2.6) and similar to that for maternal smoking before or in pregnancy with 2.3 (95% CI: 1.8, 3.1). After adjustment for a number of potential confounders and paternal smoking at interview the odds ratio for maternal smoking before or in pregnancy and childhood obesity was 1.9 (95% CI: 1.3, 2.7). There was no evidence for interaction between paternal smoking and maternal smoking before or in pregnancy (P = 0.38)., Conclusions: Although of similar magnitude, the association of paternal smoking could only partially explain the effect of maternal smoking before or in pregnancy on childhood obesity. Whether this persistent association reflects residual confounding or causality is unclear.

Several studies have examined risk factors for overweight and obesity. However, inconsistent results have been observed for estimations of some risk factors, such as the infant feeding method, and for their link to childhood obesity. These studies originated from different countries and used different body mass index cutoffs to define overweight and obesity. Using a theoretical approach and data obtained in preschoolers, we show that the identification of genuine risk factors for overweight or obesity does not depend on the choice of the reference system. However, for meaningful international comparisons, in particular for those of prevalence, studies should also report estimates by using a widely accepted international reference system.

Objective: A number of individual risk factors for childhood obesity have been identified, but only some of these are amenable to prevention. To assess the amount of cases in a general population attributable to these risk factors, adjusted population-attributable fractions were estimated., Design: Cross-sectional study., Setting: Obligatory school entry examination in 2001/2002 in six Bavarian communities (Germany)., Subjects: 5472 children at age 5-6 years., Measures: Anthropometric measures were ascertained by public health nurses, and measures concerning sociodemographics, lifestyle and child behaviour such as child's daily meal frequency were obtained with self-administered parental questionnaires. Obesity was defined according to sex- and age-specific body mass index cut-off points proposed by the International Obesity Task Force. Adjusted population-attributable fractions were calculated based on logistic regression., Results: A combination of the risk factors low meal frequency, decreased physical activity, watching television >1 h day- 1, formula feeding and smoking in pregnancy accounted for 48.2% of obese children. This combination yielded a maximal achievable prevalence reduction of 1.5% for obesity (3.2% observed prevalence)., Conclusions: A modification of five known risk factors for childhood overweight and obesity could reasonably lower obesity prevalences at school entry. These risk factors should be particularly considered in decision making on preventive measures.

Background & Aims: Physical activity (PA) is a major determinant of obesity. Accelerometers have been reported to provide valid measures among adults. However, studies among preschoolers rarely report positive findings. To assess the day-to-day variability of accelerometers in preschoolers., Methods: Uni-axial accelerometer (Actigraph monitor AM 7164-2.2) counts including one weekend from the time of getting up in the morning until bedtime., Results: On average, boys showed 899 counts per minute (cpm) compared to 764 for girls (p<0.01; overall mean 828 cpm). Intra-individual correlation for accelerometry data between single days of examination was low with Pearson correlation coefficients between r=0.31 and 0.51. Furthermore, child's body mass index (BMI) and accelerometer measures were not related to each other (Pearson's correlation coefficient r=-0.06). Subsequent analyses showed higher measures (+50%cpm; p<0.01) for instruments placed in front of the umbilicus compared to instruments placed at the right hip., Conclusions: Measurements of uni-axial accelerometers showed a low reliability among preschoolers. Uni-axial accelerometers placed on elastic belts might measure PA with low precision among preschoolers under free-living conditions possibly due to slipping instruments. This might explain lacking findings of an association between PA and obesity in studies among preschoolers.

Background: Previous studies reported inconsistent associations between breastfeeding and body mass index (BMI; in kg/m2). Associations with body fatness are unknown., Objective: We investigated the association of breastfeeding with fatness measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry., Design: The prospective cohort study involved 4325 singletons with measurements at 9-10 y of age to assess the main outcomes of BMI and total and trunk fat masses., Results: Prevalence of any breastfeeding was 82%. In crude analyses, breastfeeding was inversely associated with total fat mass [% change per category increase (4 categories)] in breastfeeding duration (-4.4%; 95% CI: -3.1%, -5.6%) and trunk fat mass (-0.5%; 95% CI: -1.1%, 0.1%); the odds of adiposity were measured by total [odds ratio (OR): 0.81; 95% CI: 0.75, 0.88] and trunk (OR: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.71, 0.84) fat masses in the top decile. In adjusted models, the inverse association of breastfeeding with mean total fat mass was attenuated by 59% (% change per category increase in breastfeeding duration: -1.8%; 95% CI: -0.5%, -3.1%), but associations with trunk fat mass (% change per category increase in breastfeeding duration: -0.6%; 95% CI: 0.0%, -1.3%) and the ORs for total (0.76; 95% CI: 0.69, 0.84) and trunk (0.74; 95% CI: 0.67, 0.81) fat masses in the top decile were little altered. Children breastfed >or=6 mo had the lowest odds of total fat mass in the top decile (OR: 0.45; 95% CI: 0.33, 0.62). In multivariate models, there was little evidence that breastfeeding was associated with mean or threshold values of BMI., Conclusions: The protective association of breastfeeding with mean total fat mass was attenuated somewhat after adjustment for confounders, which indicated that confounding may explain this association. Breastfeeding may protect against obesity if maintained for >or=6 mo.

Objective: Previous studies have demonstrated an inverse association between meal frequency and the prevalence of obesity in adulthood. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between meal frequency and childhood obesity., Research Methods and Procedures: Stature and weight of 4,370 German children ages 5 to 6 years were determined in six Bavarian (Germany) public health offices during the obligatory school entry health examination in 2001/2002. An extensive questionnaire on risk factors for obesity was answered by their parents. Obesity was defined according to sex- and age-specific BMI cut-off points proposed by the International Obesity Task Force. The main exposure was daily meal frequency., Results: The prevalence of obesity decreased by number of daily meals: three or fewer meals, 4.2% [95% confidence interval (CI), 2.8 to 6.1]; four meals, 2.8% (95% CI, 2.1 to 3.7); and 5 or more meals, 1.7% (95% CI, 1.2 to 2.4). These effects could not be explained by confounding due to a wide range of constitutional, sociodemographic, and lifestyle factors. The adjusted odds ratios for obesity were 0.73 (95% CI, 0.44 to 1.21) for four meals and 0.51 (95% CI, 0.29 to 0.89) for five or more meals. Additional analyses pointed to a higher energy intake in nibblers compared with gorgers., Discussion: A protective effect of an increased daily meal frequency on obesity in children was observed and appeared to be independent of other risk factors for childhood obesity. A modulation of the response of hormones such as insulin might be instrumental.

Objective: Obesity prevalence is increasing worldwide and obesity is associated with low education. To assess if the overall increase of obesity prevalence is due to increasing obesity prevalence among low educated strata only., Design: Data on n=1,883,783 males in their 19th year of life seen at physical examinations due to general conscription in Germany from 1989 to 1998., Measurements: Stature and weight were measured in underpants and obesity defined as body mass index > 30 kg/m(2)., Results: From 1989 to 1998 an increase of body mass index values >70th percentile was observed. Overall obesity prevalence increased from 3.4% (95% CI 3.3-3.5) to 5.7% (95% CI 5.6-5.8). During the whole observation period, the prevalence of obesity was inversely related to educational level. The increase of obesity prevalence, however, was unrelated to educational level: for education less than 10 y from 4.9% (95% CI 4.7-5.0) to 7.7% (95% CI 7.5-7.9), for education of 10 y from 2.6% (95% CI 2.5-2.7) to 5.3% (95% CI 5.1-5.5) and for education of more than 10 y from 1.6% (95% CI 1.4-1.8) to 3.4% (95%CI 3.2-3.5)., Conclusion: Prevalence of obesity increased among recruits of all educational levels, suggesting that preventive measures against obesity have to target all educational levels.

Objective: Early identification of children at high risk for childhood overweight is a major challenge in fighting the obesity epidemic. We tried to identify the most powerful set of combined predictors for childhood overweight at school entry., Research Methods and Procedures: A classification and regression trees analysis on risk factors for childhood overweight in 4289 children 5 to 6 years of age participating in the obligatory school entry health examination 2001/2002 in Bavaria, Germany, was performed. Parental questionnaires asked for children's weight at birth and 2 years, breastfeeding history, maternal smoking in pregnancy, parental education, parental overweight/obesity, nationality, and number of older siblings. Overweight was defined according to sex- and age-specific BMI cut-points proposed by the International Obesity Task Force., Results: Prevalence of overweight was 11% among the entire study population. Although high early weight gain >10,000 grams was found in about one-half of the overweight children, its positive predictive value reached only 25%, indicating that one of four children with a high early weight gain is overweight at school entry. The best reliable set of predictors included high early weight gain and obese parents and accounted for a likelihood ratio of 3.6, with a corresponding positive predictive value of 40%, and was found in 4% of all children., Discussion: A combination of predictors available at 2 years of age could improve predictability of overweight at school entry. However, corresponding low positive predictive values indicate a precision of the prediction that might be insufficient for targeting intervention programs for identified high-risk children.

The objective of this study was to examine whether duration of exclusive breastfeeding is associated with elevated weight gain in infants during the first two years of life. In this prospective cohort study 2624 healthy term neonates were followed from birth to age 2 years in 4 German study centres. Data on breastfeeding and potential confounders were gathered by questionnaires. Data on anthropometric measures at birth and age 2 years were obtained from routine standardised medical check up documentation. Odds ratios for the association between breastfeeding and weight gain until age 2 years (> or = 90th sex-specific percentile of the cohort) were calculated by logistic regression, adjusting for age at introduction and composition of solid food, maternal BMI, maternal smoking during pregnancy, socioeconomic status, study centre, birth order and, in unstratified analysis, sex. Children exclusively breastfed for less than 6 months had a greater risk of elevated weight gain at the age of 2 years than children breastfed for 6 months and more (OR (95% CI): 1.65 (1.17, 2.30)). Duration of exclusive breastfeeding was inversely associated with the risk of elevated weight gain in a strongly duration-dependent way. Those infants who were exclusively breastfed 1 month at the most had twice as often elevated weight gain (OR (95% CI): 1.99 (1.34, 2.97)) compared to infants breastfed at least 6 months. Our data show that exclusive breastfeeding protects against elevated weight gain during infancy which may be the first step on the pathway of obesity development.

The relationship between breast-feeding and childhood obesity is of great interest. Since 2000, sixteen studies have been published with conflicting data regarding the potential protective effect of breast-feeding on childhood obesity. A narrative review of Dewey in 2003 suggested a protective effect of breast-feeding, but an editorial in the British Medical Journal later that year cited two more recent studies without such an effect and stated there was inconclusive evidence A recent meta-analysis, however, has suggested a small, but significant, protective effect of breast-feeding. This paper summarizes this meta-analysis and discusses the strengths and limitations of the meta-analysis approach.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between breast-feeding and obesity in childhood., Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis of published epidemiological studies (cohort, case-control or cross-sectional studies) comparing early feeding-mode and adjusting for potential confounding factors. Electronic databases were searched and reference lists of relevant articles were checked. Calculations of pooled estimates were conducted in fixed- and random-effects models. Heterogeneity was tested by Q-test. Publication bias was assessed from funnel plots and by a linear regression method., Outcome Measures: Odds ratio (OR) for obesity in childhood defined as body mass index (BMI) percentiles., Results: Nine studies with more than 69,000 participants met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis showed that breast-feeding reduced the risk of obesity in childhood significantly. The adjusted odds ratio was 0.78, 95% CI (0.71, 0.85) in the fixed model. The assumption of homogeneity of results of the included studies could not be refuted (Q-test for heterogeneity, P>0.3), stratified analyses showed no differences regarding different study types, age groups, definition of breast-feeding or obesity and number of confounding factors adjusted for. A dose-dependent effect of breast-feeding duration on the prevalence of obesity was reported in four studies. Funnel plot regression gave no indication of publication bias., Conclusion: Breast-feeding seems to have a small but consistent protective effect against obesity in children.

Meeting children's nutritional needs is of fundamental importance for their immediate and later health, well-being, and performance. Age-adapted reference values of nutrient intake form the basis for analysis of the current situation and for policy planning, but for many nutrients they cannot be precisely defined due to inadequate scientific data. Therefore, such values are often extrapolated from adult reference values based on age-adapted mean body weight or body surface data, although such extrapolation does not reflect age-related physiological changes. There are considerable differences between various expert recommendations, in part also due to differences in definitions and underlying concepts for deriving reference values. Improvements and international harmonization are urgently needed. Nutritional needs of many children and adolescents are not adequately met at present. A particularly obvious indication is the epidemic-like increase of pediatric overweight and obesity, which could result in markedly increased prevalences of later metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Contributing to increasing childhood obesity are low physical activity, changing eating culture and behavior, frequent consumption of high-fat foods with high energy density, and increasing portion sizes. Changes are urgently needed and might be achievable with close collaboration between scientists, public institutions, and industry.

Objective: Obesity in children is an increasing problem worldwide. This article reports on the contribution of the Bavarian school entry health examinations to assess the prevalence and trends of childhood obesity in Bavaria and to identify new risk or protective factors for childhood obesity., Methods: This report is based on data from the 1997 state-wide school entry health examination, which was supplemented by a regional questionnaire study and a retrospective regional ascertainment of the BMI distribution in previous school entry health examinations in 1982, 1987 and 1992 and two parent questionnaire studies on risk factors for childhood obesity in a sub-sample of the districts in 1999 and 2001., Results: The prevalence of overweight increased from 8.5 % in 1982 to 12.3 % in 1997 and for obesity from 1.8 to 2.8 % respectively. The increase in the respective prevalence estimates was not related to a shift of the entire BMI distribution but to an increase in the uppermost part of the distribution. The prevalence of obesity in Bavarian children, however, was lower than for children in Brandenburg. Maternal smoking in early pregnancy could be identified as a "new" risk factor for childhood obesity whereas breastfeeding proved to be protective., Conclusions: An increase in the prevalence of obesity in Bavarian children was observed. Increased rates of smoking in early pregnancy might be one explanation for the obesity epidemic in children, since the prevalence of smoking in young women has increased dramatically in recent decades.

An association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and offspring obesity has been reported. This study assessed the impact of maternal smoking during the first trimester. Data on 4,974 German children aged 5-6 years were obtained at school entry health examinations in 2001-2002 in Bavaria. Obesity was defined by body mass index using International Obesity Task Force cutpoints. Prevalence of obesity was 1.9% (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.5, 2.4) in offspring of never smokers, 4.5% (95% CI: 2.9, 6.7) for maternal smoking during the first trimester only, and 5.9% (95% CI: 3.8, 8.7) for maternal smoking throughout pregnancy. Unadjusted odds ratios were higher for maternal smoking throughout pregnancy (odds ratio = 3.23, 95% CI: 2.00, 5.21) compared with the first trimester only (odds ratio = 2.41, 95% CI: 1.49, 3.91). Adjusted odds ratios were similar: 1.70 (95% CI: 1.02, 2.87) for maternal smoking throughout pregnancy and 2.22 (95% CI: 1.33, 3.69) for maternal smoking in the first trimester only. When modeled together, no statistically significant difference in obesity risk was found between maternal smoking in the first trimester compared with throughout pregnancy. The effect of intrauterine tobacco exposure on childhood obesity may depend largely on cigarette smoking during the first trimester, whereas the additional impact of smoking throughout pregnancy might be due to confounding by sociodemographics. Women should be encouraged to quit smoking prior to conception.

Background: The prevalence of adiposity in childhood is increasing. Is breast-feeding protective as suggested by cross-sectional studies?, Objective: In a longitudinal birth cohort study, we tested whether breast-feeding for more than 2 months has preventive effects against overweight and adiposity at 6 y., Design: Of 1314 children representing the catchment areas of six delivery units, 918 could be followed up to the age of 6 y. Height, weight, and skin-fold thickness were measured at regular visits. As the criteria of overweight, obesity, and adiposity in the children, the 90th and the 97th percentiles of BMI and skin-fold values were used. Parents with a BMI at or above the 90th percentile, which was 27 kg/m(2) or more, were considered overweight. Infants bottle-fed from birth or breast-fed for less than 3 months were classified as 'bottle-fed' (BO), and those breast-fed for 3 months and more as 'breast-fed' (BR). Univariate comparisons and logistic regression analysis were performed applying SAS 6.12. The final logistic model consisted of the 480 cases for whom complete data for all variables were available. The potential effect of loss to follow-up was analysed by the Cochran-Mantel-Haenzel test: the outcomes were not significantly influenced by loss to follow-up., Results: At birth BMIs were nearly identical in both groups. By 3 months, BO had significantly higher BMIs and thicker skin folds than BR. From 6 months on, compared to BR, a consistently higher proportion of BO children exceeded the 90th and the 97th percentile of BMI and skin-fold thickness reference values. From the age of 4 y to 5 and 6 y, in BO the prevalence of obesity nearly doubled and tripled, respectively. With only minor changes of obesity prevalence in BR, the difference of BMI and skin-fold thickness between groups became statistically significant. Logistic regression analysis revealed that overweight of the mother, maternal smoking during pregnancy, bottle feeding, and low social status remained important risk factors for overweight and adiposity at 6 y of age., Conclusion: A maternal BMI of > or =27, bottle-feeding, maternal smoking during pregnancy, and low social status are risk factors for overweight and adiposity at 6 y of age. Early bottle-feeding brings forward the obesity rebound, predictive of obesity in later life.

Objective: To assess the impact of breast-feeding on childhood overweight/obesity in an Eastern European socialist society with relatively homogeneous lifestyles., Study Design: Cross-sectional survey data collected in 1991 on 33,768 school-children aged 6 to 14 years in the Czech Republic were analyzed by using multiple logistic regression analyses (main outcome body mass index [BMI] >90th percentile [overweight] and BMI >97th percentile [obesity])., Results: Overall prevalence of overweight (obesity) was lower in breast-fed children: ever breast-fed (9.3%; 95% CI, 8.9-9.6 [3.2%; 95% CI, 3.0-3.4]) compared with never breast-fed (12.4%; 95% CI, 11.3-13.6 [4.4%; 95% CI, 3.7-5.2]). The effect of breast-feeding on overweight/obesity did not diminish with age in children 6 to 14 years old and could not be explained by parental education, parental obesity, maternal smoking, high birth weight, watching television, number of siblings, and physical activity. Adjusted odds ratios for breast-feeding were for overweight 0.80 (95% CI, 0.71-0.90) and for obesity 0.80 (95% CI, 0.66-0.96)., Conclusions: A reduced prevalence of overweight/obesity was associated with breast-feeding in a setting where socioeconomic status was homogeneous. This suggests that the effect of breast-feeding on the prevalence of obesity is not confounded by socioeconomic status.

A recent cohort study suggested that maternal smoking during pregnancy might be a risk factor for childhood obesity. Data from the obligatory school entry health examination in six Bavarian (Germany) public health offices in 1999-2000 were used to assess the relation between maternal smoking during pregnancy and childhood obesity (n = 6,483 German children aged 5.00-6.99 years). A body mass index greater than the 90th percentile was defined as overweight, and a body mass index greater than the 97th percentile was defined as obesity. The main exposure was maternal smoking during pregnancy. The prevalences of overweight and obesity, expressed as percentages, increased in the following order: never smoked (overweight: 8.1, 95% confidence interval (CI): 7.2, 9.0; obesity: 2.2, 95% CI: 1.7, 2.7); less than 10 cigarettes daily (overweight: 14.1, 95% CI: 11.1, 17.7; obesity: 5.7, 95% CI: 3.7, 8.2); and 10 or more cigarettes daily (overweight: 17.0, 95% CI: 10.1, 26.2; obesity: 8.5, 95% CI: 3.7, 16.1). The adjusted odds ratios for maternal smoking during pregnancy were 1.43 (95% CI: 1.07, 1.90) for overweight and 2.06 (95% CI: 1.31, 3.23) for obesity. A dose-dependent association between overweight/obesity and maternal smoking during pregnancy was observed that could not be explained by a wide range of confounders, suggesting that intrauterine exposure to inhaled smoke products rather than lifestyle factors associated with maternal smoking accounts for this finding.

Objective: To examine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the entire population of 5- and 6-y-old children entering school in Germany, Bavaria, and to assess time trends over the last 15 y and the impact of ethnicity., Design: Cross-sectional studies were based on the obligatory school entry health examinations: all health districts of Bavaria in 1997 (n=127 735); three health districts every 5 y from 1982 to 1997 (n=16 281)., Measurements: Body mass index (BMI; kg/m(2)) was calculated and the prevalence of overweight and obesity was defined based on national and international agreed cut-off points. Ethnicity was measured as German and non-German nationality., Results: The prevalence of overweight and obese children as defined by international reference values was 9.4 and 3.1% for 5-y-old boys, 10.0 and 2.9% for 6-y-old boys, 12.2 and 3.3% for 5-y-old girls and 12.4 and 3.3% for 6-y-old girls. The whole BMI distribution in non-German children compared to German children was shifted to the right with median values in non-German children 0.3-0.5 kg/m(2) higher. In these the prevalence of overweight/obesity was 1.9/2.4 times higher for boys and 1.5/1.9 times higher for girls. The time trend between 1982 and 1997 shows an increase of the BMI distribution in the upper percentiles, whereas the lower percentiles did not change substantially. The increased prevalences of overweight/obesity for both sexes as defined by international references increased from 8.5/1.8% in 1982 to 12.3/2.8% in 1997., Conclusion: This large study on all children entering school in Bavaria in 1997 shows patterns of overweight and obesity which are comparable with other European data but are lower than US and Australian data. Increasing prevalences since 1982 indicate that overweight and obesity in children are of increasing public health importance in Bavaria. The upwards shift of the BMI distribution in non-German children needs further investigation.