Fetal macrosomia and adolescence obesity: results from a longitudinal cohort study

• Published in: International Journal of Obesity Vol. 33; no. 8; pp. 923 - 928
• Main Authors: Wang, Y, Gao, E, Wu, J, Zhou, J, Yang, Q, Walker, M C, Mbikay, M, Sigal, R J, Nair, R C, Wen, S W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.08.2009; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents; Biological and medical sciences; Birth weight; Body Mass Index; Breast feeding; Child; China - epidemiology; Diseases of mother, fetus and pregnancy; Epidemiology; Feeding Behavior - psychology; Female; Fetal macrosomia; Fetal Macrosomia - epidemiology; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Health Promotion and Disease Prevention; Humans; Infants; Internal Medicine; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic Diseases; Miscellaneous; Obesity; Obesity - epidemiology; Obesity - etiology; Obesity in adolescence; original-article; Pregnancy; Pregnancy. Fetus. Placenta; Public Health; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Risk factors; Suburban areas; Trends; China; Canada; Ottawa Ontario Canada; China, People's Rep., Shanghai; China, People's Rep; adolescence; birth weight; macrosomia; body mass index; Human; Obesity; Pregnancy disorders; Nutrition; Nutrition disorder; Metabolic diseases; Macrosomia; Result; Pregnancy; Body mass index; Fetal diseases; Malformation; Follow up study; Cohort study; Adolescent; Fetus; Birth weight; Nutritional status; Public health
• ISSN: 0307-0565; 1476-5497
• DOI: 10.1038/ijo.2009.131

Objective: To assess the association between fetal macrosomia and adolescent obesity. Design: Longitudinal cohort study of the association between macrosomia and adolescent obesity. Subjects: Between 1 October 2005 and 1 February 2007, a follow-up study of live-born infants born in 1993–1995 in Wuxi, a suburban area of Shanghai, was conducted. Subjects with birth weight > 4000 g were selected as the exposed. For each exposed subject, one subject with a birth weight of 2500–4000 g, matched by year of birth, sex of infant, and type of institute at birth, was chosen as non-exposed. Clinical data were collected by structured interview and physical examination. Obesity was defined as body mass index (weight (kg)/height (m 2 )) higher than the sex-age-specific criteria by the working group on obesity in China. Distribution of baseline characteristics and adolescent obesity rate between the exposed and non-exposed groups was compared. Results: A total of 1435 pairs of exposed and non-exposed subjects were included in the final analysis. No major difference in baseline characteristics (other than birth weight) was found between the exposed and non-exposed groups. Obesity rate was significantly higher in the exposed group (2.9%) than in the non-exposed group (1.6%). Adolescent obesity rates were 1.4, 1.9, 2.6, and 5.6%, respectively, in study subjects with a birth weight of 2500–3499, 3500–3999, 4000–4499, and ⩾4500 g. The association between birth weight and adolescent obesity remained essentially the same when mother's demographic and anthropometric factors, breast feeding, and adolescent life-style factors were adjusted. Conclusion: Compared with infants of normal birth weight, infants with birth weight >4000 g, especially those >4500 g, are at increased risk of adolescent obesity.