THE INFLUENCE OF BMI FROM CHILDHOOD TO ADULTHOOD ON COGNITION AND PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE IN MIDDLE AGE

It is unclear whether BMI from childhood and young adulthood predicts cognition and physical performance in mid-life. Using data from Bogalusa Heart Study (n=880; mean (SD) age at baseline=10.6 years (2.8), BMI=18.1 (3.6), 64.1% female, 33.0% black), we examined the longitudinal association of BMI, measured at recurrent clinic visits, with cognition (the sum of standardized scores on 11 validated neuropsychological tests) and physical performance (the Short Physical Performance Battery [SPPB]). A one-unit increase in BMI was associated with a decrease of 0.14 points (p