Body mass index trajectories from 2 to 18 years – exploring differences between European cohorts
Year: 2016
Type: article
Abstract: BACKGROUND: In recent decades, there has been an increase in the prevalence of childhood overweight in most high-income countries. Within northern Europe, prevalence tends to be higher in the UK compared with the Scandinavian countries. We aimed to study differences in body mass index (BMI) trajectories between large cohorts of children from UK and Scandinavian populations. METHODS: We compared BMI trajectories in participants from the English Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children born in 1991-1993 (ALSPAC) (N = 6517), the Northern Finland Birth Cohorts born in 1966 (NFBC1966) (N = 3321) and 1986 (NFBC1986) (N = 4764), and the Danish Aarhus Birth Cohort born in 1990-1992 (ABC) (N = 1920). We used multilevel models to estimate BMI trajectories from 2 to 18 years. We explored whether cohort differences were explained by maternal BMI, height, education or smoking during pregnancy and whether differences were attributable to changes in the degree of skew in the BMI distribution. RESULTS: Differences in mean BMI between the cohorts were small but emerged early and persisted in most cases across childhood. Girls in ALSPAC had a higher BMI than all other cohorts throughout childhood, e.g. compared with the NFBC1986 BMI was 2.2-3.5% higher. For boys, the difference emerging over time (comparing the two NFBC's) exceeded the differences across populations (comparing NFBC1986, ABC and ALSPAC). BMI distribution demonstrated increasing right skew with age. CONCLUSION: Population-level differences between cohorts were small, tended to emerge very early, persisted across childhood, and demonstrated an increase in the right-hand tail of the BMI distribution.
Source: Pediatric Obesity
DOI: 10.1111/ijpo.12115
Institutions: Aarhus University, University of Bristol, MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg Hospital, Bispebjerg Hospital, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Oulu University Hospital, University of Oulu, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,880
Funders: Aarhus Universitet, Wellcome Trust, Health Foundation, European Commission, University of Bristol, Academy of Finland, Ministère des Affaires Sociales et de la Santé, Oulun Yliopisto, TrygFonden, National Institutes of Health, Medical Research Council, European Regional Development Fund, Biocenter, University of Oulu, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of Mental Health
Awards: Arctic Health Risks: Impacts on health in the Arctic and Europe owing to climate-induced changes in contaminant cycling, G1423156303, European ResearcH on DevElopmentAL, BirtH and Genetic Determinants of Ageing, G1668673643, G178033515, G2164340656, Identification of epigenetic markers underlying increased risk of T2D in South Asians, G235045266, G2673957436, G3257889090, Genetic Influences on ADHD in a Finnish Birth Cohort, G3316531930, G3520205971, G3814398992, G4182683118, The Avon Longitudinal Study for Parents and Children: An international resource for population genomic and lifecourse epidemiology. Core programme support 2014-2019., G4515475997, G451789889, G4735382418, G4793881792, G4884678108, G4975632709, G5087288417, Genetics of cardiovascular risk factors in large founder population birth control, G5249440708, The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children: An international resource for population genomics and lifecourse epidemiology. Core Programme Support 2011-2013., G5732837624, G5771352849, G5787068823, G5810988395, G5937855582, G6073614834, G6119919417, Whole Genome Assoc. Analysis Strategies for Multi. Phenotypes, G6257676483, G6273719838, G6296843930, G6346363337, G6519421474, G6562605244, G6668479156, G6689231961, G6737906592, G7219708928, G7333372387, G7434077274, G7517388700, G7758688404, G8345909828, G8518790725, G8538723892, G8593618688, G8747027155, G918840207
OpenAlex ID: W2274654276