¹Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

²Tulane Center for Cardiovascular Health, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Correspondence to: DS Freedman, CDC Mailstop K-26, 4770 Buford Highway, Atlanta, GA 30341-3717, USA. E-mail: DFreedman@Cdc.gov

OBJECTIVE: The beginning of the post-infancy rise in the body mass index (BMI, kg/m²) has been termed the adiposity rebound, and several studies have found that an early rebound increases the risk for overweight in adulthood. We examined whether this relation is independent of childhood BMI levels.

DESIGN: A longitudinal study of 105 subjects who examined at ages 5, 6, 7, 8 and 19-23 y.

RESULTS: Subjects with an age at the BMI rebound (age_min) of £5 y were, on average, 4-5 kg/m² heavier in early adulthood than were subjects whose age_min was 7 y. Age_min, however, was also correlated with childhood BMI levels (r~-0.5), and we found that age_min provided no additional information on adult overweight if the BMI level at age 7 y (or 8 y) was known. In contrast, childhood height, which was also correlated with age_min (r=-0.47), was independently related to adult BMI. Among relatively heavy (BMI=16.0 kg/m²) 5-y-olds, a child with a height of 120 cm was estimated to be 1.2 kg/m² heavier in adulthood than would a 104 cm tall child.

CONCLUSIONS: Although an early BMI rebound was related to higher levels of relative weight in adulthood, this association was not independent of childhood BMI levels. The relation of childhood height to adult BMI needs to confirmed in other cohorts, but it is possible that childhood height may help identify children who are likely to become overweight adults.

International Journal of Obesity (2001) 25, 543-549

adiposity rebound; body mass index; weight; children; longitudinal study; height; obesity