[go: up one dir, main page]
More Web Proxy on the site http://driver.im/
Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Pediatric Highlight
  • Published:

Predictive associations between alternative measures of childhood adiposity and adult cardio-metabolic health

International Journal of Obesity volume 35, pages 38–45 (2011)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Objective:

To estimate associations between alternative measures of childhood adiposity and indicators of cardio-metabolic health in adulthood, both unadjusted and adjusted for changes in adiposity from childhood to adulthood.

Design and Methods:

The study consisted of a 20-year follow-up of 2188 adults who had participated in the 1985 Australian Schools Health and Fitness Survey when they were between 7 and 15 years of age. Baseline and follow-up measures of body composition included height and weight, waist and hip circumferences and skinfold thicknesses at four sites. At follow-up, participants attended study clinics where component indicators of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) (waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose and lipids) were measured.

Results:

Waist circumference and skinfold measures were the strongest predictors of subsequent MetS (2009 Joint Scientific Statement definition) in early adulthood. For example, relative risks (RRs) for children in the highest (vs lowest) quarter of waist circumference were 4.8 (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.5–9.2) for males and 5.8 (95% CI: 2.4–14.2) for females. After adjusting for change in waist circumference from childhood to adulthood, each 10 cm increase in childhood waist circumference was associated with an approximate twofold increase in risk for adult MetS (RR=2.1 (95% CI: 1.7–2.7) among males and RR=2.3 (95% CI: 1.6–3.4) among females).

Conclusion:

Elevated waist circumference and skinfold thickness measures in childhood appear to be the strongest predictors of subsequent MetS in early adulthood. The increased risk associated with higher waist circumference in childhood appears to be independent of changes in waist circumference from childhood to adulthood.

Access through your institution
Buy or subscribe

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Access through your institution

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1

References

  1. Katzmarzyk PT, Baur LA, Blair SN, Lambert EV, Oppert JM, Riddoch C . International conference on physical activity and obesity in children: summary statement and recommendations. Int J Pediatr Obes 2008; 3: 3–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Weiss R, Caprio S . The metabolic consequences of childhood obesity. Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab 2005; 19: 405–419.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Baker JL, Olsen LW, Sorensen TI . Childhood body-mass index and the risk of coronary heart disease in adulthood. N Engl J Med 2007; 357: 2329–2337.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. DiPietro L, Mossberg HO, Stunkard AJ . A 40-year history of overweight children in Stockholm: life-time overweight, morbidity, and mortality. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 1994; 18: 585–590.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Must A, Jacques PF, Dallal GE, Bajema CJ, Dietz WH . Long-term morbidity and mortality of overweight adolescents. A follow-up of the Harvard Growth Study of 1922 to 1935. N Engl J Med 1992; 327: 1350–1355.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Lawlor DA, Leon DA . Association of body mass index and obesity measured in early childhood with risk of coronary heart disease and stroke in middle age: findings from the aberdeen children of the 1950 s prospective cohort study. Circulation 2005; 111: 1891–1896.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Lawlor DA, Martin RM, Gunnell D, Galobardes B, Ebrahim S, Sandhu J et al. Association of body mass index measured in childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood with risk of ischemic heart disease and stroke: findings from 3 historical cohort studies. Am J Clin Nutr 2006; 83: 767–773.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Mattsson N, Ronnemaa T, Juonala M, Viikari JS, Raitakari OT . Childhood predictors of the metabolic syndrome in adulthood. The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study. Annals of medicine 2008; 40: 542–552.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Srinivasan SR, Myers L, Berenson GS . Predictability of childhood adiposity and insulin for developing insulin resistance syndrome (syndrome X) in young adulthood—The Bogalusa Heart Study. Diabetes 2002; 51: 204–209.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Vanhala MJ, Vanhala PT, Keinanen-Kiukaanniemi SM, Kumpusalo EA, Takala JK . Relative weight gain and obesity as a child predict metabolic syndrome as an adult. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 1999; 23: 656–659.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Savva SC, Tornaritis M, Savva ME, Kourides Y, Panagi A, Silikiotou N et al. Waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio are better predictors of cardiovascular disease risk factors in children than body mass index. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2000; 24: 1453–1458.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Freedman DS, Khan LK, Dietz WH, Srinivasan SR, Berenson GS . Relationship of childhood obesity to coronary heart disease risk factors in adulthood: the Bogalusa Heart Study. Pediatrics 2001; 108: 712–718.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Wright CM, Parker L, Lamont D, Craft AW . Implications of childhood obesity for adult health: findings from thousand families cohort study. Br Med J 2001; 323: 1280–1284.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Tu YK, West R, Ellison GT, Gilthorpe MS . Why evidence for the fetal origins of adult disease might be a statistical artifact: the ‘‘reversal paradox’’ for the relation between birth weight and blood pressure in later life. Am J Epidemiol 2005; 161: 27–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Dwyer T, Gibbons LE . The Australian Schools Health and Fitness Survey. Physical fitness related to blood pressure but not lipoproteins. Circulation 1994; 89: 1539–1544.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Dwyer T, Magnussen CG, Schmidt MD, Ukoumunne OC, Ponsonby AL, Raitakari OT et al. Decline in physical fitness from childhood to adulthood associated with increased obesity and insulin resistance in adults. Diabetes Care 2009; 32: 683–687.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Alberti KG, Eckel RH, Grundy SM, Zimmet PZ, Cleeman JI, Donato KA et al. Harmonizing the metabolic syndrome: a joint interim statement of the International Diabetes Federation Task Force on Epidemiology and Prevention; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; American Heart Association; World Heart Federation; International Atherosclerosis Society; and International Association for the Study of Obesity. Circulation 2009; 120: 1640–1645.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Wijndaele K, Beunen G, Duvigneaud N, Matton L, Duquet W, Thomis M et al. A continuous metabolic syndrome risk score: utility for epidemiological analyses. Diabetes Care 2006; 29: 2329.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Venn AJ, Thomson RJ, Schmidt MD, Cleland VJ, Curry BA, Gennat HC et al. Overweight and obesity from childhood to adulthood: a follow-up of participants in the 1985 Australian Schools Health and Fitness Survey. Med J Aust 2007; 186: 458–460.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. De Stavola BL, Nitsch D, dos Santos Silva I, McCormack V, Hardy R, Mann V et al. Statistical issues in life course epidemiology. Am J Epidemiol 2006; 163: 84–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Dietz WH . Health consequences of obesity in youth: childhood predictors of adult disease. Pediatrics 1998; 101: 518–525.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Must A, Strauss RS . Risks and consequences of childhood and adolescent obesity. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 1999; 23: S2–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Snijder MB, van Dam RM, Visser M, Seidell JC . What aspects of body fat are particularly hazardous and how do we measure them? Int J Epidemiol 2006; 35: 83–92.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Janssen I, Katzmarzyk PT, Ross R . Body mass index, waist circumference, and health risk: evidence in support of current National Institutes of Health guidelines. Arch Intern Med 2002; 162: 2074–2079.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Engeland A, Bjorge T, Tverdal A, Sogaard AJ . Obesity in adolescence and adulthood and the risk of adult mortality. Epidemiology 2004; 15: 79–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The Childhood Determinants of Adult Health study was funded by grants from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, the Australian National Heart Foundation, the Tasmanian Community Fund and Veolia Environmental Services. Financial support was also provided by Sanitarium Health Food Company, ASICS Oceania and Target Australia. Dr Schmidt was supported by a National Heart Foundation of Australia postdoctoral fellowship. We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the Childhood Determinants of Adult Health Study's project manager, Marita Dalton, all other project staff and volunteers, and the study participants. Drs Obioha Ukoumunne and Russell Thomson provided valuable statistical advice.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Kinesiology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA

    M D Schmidt

  2. Menzies Research Institute, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia

    M D Schmidt, C G Magnussen & A J Venn

  3. Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Melbourne, Australia

    T Dwyer & C G Magnussen

  4. Research Centre of Applied and Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

    C G Magnussen

Authors
  1. M D Schmidt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. T Dwyer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. C G Magnussen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. A J Venn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M D Schmidt.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Supplementary Information accompanies the paper on International Journal of Obesity website

Supplementary information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Schmidt, M., Dwyer, T., Magnussen, C. et al. Predictive associations between alternative measures of childhood adiposity and adult cardio-metabolic health. Int J Obes 35, 38–45 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2010.205

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2010.205

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links