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Prediction of obesity in children at 5 years: A cohort study
Author(s) -
O'CALLAGHAN MJ,
WILLIAMS GM,
ANDERSEN MJ,
BOR W,
NAJMAN JM
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of paediatrics and child health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.631
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1440-1754
pISSN - 1034-4810
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1754.1997.tb01607.x
Subject(s) - medicine , obesity , psychosocial , pediatrics , cohort , cbcl , prospective cohort study , checklist , body mass index , percentile , demography , psychiatry , psychology , statistics , mathematics , sociology , cognitive psychology
Objective: To examine determinants of moderate and severe obesity in children at 5 years of age. Methodology: A prospective cohort of mothers were enrolled at first antenatal visit, and interviewed shortly after delivery, at 6 months and 5 years. Detailed health, psychological and social questionnaires were completed at each phase by mothers, and child health questionnaires at 6 months and 5 years. At 5 years 4062 children were assessed physically, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test administered and mothers completed a modified Child Behaviour Checklist. Moderate obesity was defined as BMI between 85th and 94th percentiles inclusively, and severe obesity as a BMI greater than the 94th percentile. Results: Independent predictors of severe obesity at 5 years were birthweight, female gender, maternal BMI and paternal BMI. Moderate obesity at 5 years was predicted by birthweight, paternal BMI and sleeplessness at 6 months, while small for gestational age (SGA) status and feeding problems at 6 months were protective factors for moderate obesity. Obesity was not associated with problems of language comprehension or behaviour. Conclusions: Findings of this study suggest that biological rather than psychosocial factors are the major determinants of obesity at 5 years.