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Early anthropometric measures and reproductive factors as predictors of body mass index and obesity among older women

International Journal of Obesity volume 29, pages 1084–1092 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To examine whether early anthropometric measures and reproductive factors were associated with body mass index (BMI), overweight, and obesity.

DESIGN:

Cross-sectional, observational study.

SUBJECTS:

In all, 18 109 healthy women who participated in the Swedish Mammography Cohort aged 49–83 y.

MEASUREMENTS:

Early anthropometric (birthweight and body shape at age 10 y) and reproductive (age at menarche, age at the birth of the first child, and parity) variables were our predictors and current BMI, overweight (BMI 25–29.99 kg/m2), and obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) were our outcomes.

RESULTS:

In multivariate-adjusted polytomous logistic regression analysis, risk of overweight and obesity increased with increasing body shape at age 10 y and decreased with increasing age at menarche and age at first birth (P for trend <0.0001). A U-shaped relation with birthweight was observed. In our tests for effect modification of the relation with overweight/obesity (ow/ob; BMI ≥25 kg/m2), we detected significant interactions between body shape at 10 y and age (P<0.0001); body shape at 10 y and physical activity (P<0.0001); age at first birth and smoking (P=0.02); and parity and physical activity (P=0.004). The increased risk of ow/ob among women who reported a larger childhood body shape was reduced as women moved from the lowest to highest quartile of physical activity in adulthood. Likewise, the increasing risk of ow/ob among women with greater parity was reduced with increased physical activity.

CONCLUSION:

Early anthropometric measures and reproductive factors are significantly associated with BMI, overweight, and obesity among older women. The effects of childhood body weight, age at first birth, and parity may be modified by adult lifestyle choices, as well as age.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Swedish Research Council/Section 4-Longitudinal Studies, the Swedish Cancer Society, and the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Learning.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jean Mayer United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA

    P K Newby

  2. Department of Medical Epidemiology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden

    P W Dickman & H-O Adami

  3. Department of Environmental Medicine, Division of Nutritional Epidemiology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden

    A Wolk

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  1. P K Newby
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Correspondence to P K Newby.

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Newby, P., Dickman, P., Adami, HO. et al. Early anthropometric measures and reproductive factors as predictors of body mass index and obesity among older women. Int J Obes 29, 1084–1092 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0802996

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