Adult Obesity & Birth Weight
Children who grow rapidly during childhood
are more likely to be obese as adults
Obesity & Overweight Prevention
Over half of all adults in the US and UK are overweight, and developing
countries are increasingly facing problems of over nutrition as well as
under nutrition. In the past 20 years or so, the prevalence of obesity
and overweight in both adults and children has increased dramatically.
These time and geographical trends argue against a primarily genetic cause
of obesity, and both behavioral and pharmaceutical interventions in obesity
have limited effectiveness. Prevention through environmental, social,
or behavioral interventions is a logical focus for tackling this epidemic.
Obesity & Overweight Studies
The possibility of preventing adult obesity by taking action in infancy
and childhood is attractive. Several studies have shown a weak relation
between being overweight at birth and becoming overweight in later life.
Others have found that faster growth in childhood predicts obesity in
adulthood. One obesity study (Parsons et al) has data to take account
of confounding factors that may be associated with both birth weight and
with later fatness and to examine whether the relation between birth weight
and obesity is modified by childhood growth. These potentially complex
interrelationships may hold the key to effective preventive strategies.
Obesity & Overweight Study - Birth
Weight & Body Mass Index
Parsons et al find that the positive relation between birth weight and
later body mass index is largely accounted for by maternal weight heavier
mothers have heavier babies who tend to become heavier adults. A father's
weight, however, does not influence the risk of adult obesity in his children.
It suggests that interventions to prevent obesity in women of childbearing
age give long-term benefit to their children, and the women themselves;
such interventions merit evaluation.
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