How do changes in body mass index in infancy and childhood associate with cardiometabolic profile in adulthood? Findings from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 Study.
1] Department of Non-communicable Disease Epidemiology, Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK [2] Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, MRC-HPA Centre, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, Norfolk Place, London, UK.
Postnatal growth patterns leading to obesity may have adverse influences on future cardiometabolic health. This study evaluated age and body mass index (BMI) at infant BMI peak (BMIP) and childhood BMI rebound (BMIR) in relation to adult cardiometabolic outcomes in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966.
BMI at various ages was calculated from frequent height and weight measurements obtained from child health and welfare clinical records. Age and BMI at BMIP and BMIR were derived from random effect models fitted at >0-1.5 years (N=3 265) and >1.5-13 years (N=4 121). Cardiometabolic outcomes were obtained from a clinical examination at age 31 years. Multiple regression models were used to analyse associations between the derived growth parameters and cardiometabolic outcomes.
Age and BMI at BMIP were positively associated with adult BMI and waist circumference (WC), independently of birth weight and infant height growth (P