Predictors of Developmental Patterns of Obesity in Young Children

• Published in: Frontiers in pediatrics Vol. 8; p. 109
• Main Authors: O'Connor, Thomas G, Williams, Jason, Blair, Clancy, Gatzke-Kopp, Lisa M, Francis, Lori, Willoughby, Michael T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 24.03.2020
• Subjects: birth weight; developmental programming; obesity; Pediatrics; social determinants; socio-economic status; social determinants; birth weight; socio-economic status; obesity; developmental programming
• ISSN: 2296-2360; 2296-2360
• DOI: 10.3389/fped.2020.00109

The current study characterizes longitudinal patterns in obesity in young children and their prediction from developmental programming and social determinant hypotheses. The data are based on the Family Life Project, a prospective longitudinal study of 1,292 families recruited from low-income, racially diverse, rural communities in Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. Pre-natal, peri-natal, and post-natal risks for childhood obesity were collected from 2 months of age; in-person assessments of child growth were used to identity obesity on multiple occasions from 24 to 90 months of age. Two major novel findings emerged. First, longitudinal analyses identified four distinct obesity development profiles: stable obesity, later-onset obesity, moderate/declining obesity, and non-obese; these groups had distinct risk profiles. Second, prediction analyses favored developmental programming explanations for obesity, including evidence even in early childhood that both low- and high birth weight was associated with stable obesity. There was no indication that pre- and peri-natal and post-natal factors predicted obesity differently in non-minority and minority children. Factors derived from the developmental programming model of obesity overlapped with, but predicted early onset obesity independently from, risks associated with social determinant models of obesity.