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Risk factors for rapid weight gain in preschool children: findings from a UK-wide prospective study

International Journal of Obesity volume 34, pages 624–632 (2010)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Objective:

To examine risk factors for rapid weight gain between 3 and 5 years of age.

Design:

Nationally representative prospective cohort study.

Participants:

A total of 11 653 preschool children participating in the UK Millennium Cohort Study, with anthropometry at 3 and 5 years.

Measurements:

Weight gain z-scores were calculated from 3 to 5 years. Children in the top quarter of this distribution were classified as gaining weight rapidly. A total of 26 biological and early life, social, psychological, behavioural and environmental risk factors were examined.

Results:

Among the participants, 13% of normal weight, 63% of overweight and 88% of obese 5-year olds had experienced rapid weight gain since 3 years of age. Six biological and early life factors and two social factors were found to be significantly associated with this growth pattern. In a mutually adjusted model, children were more likely to gain weight rapidly if they had a higher body mass index at age 3 (adjusted odds ratio: 1.27, 95% confidence interval: 1.23–1.32), if they were of Bangladeshi (adjusted odds ratio: 1.88, 95% confidence interval: 1.27–2.79) or black (adjusted odds ratio: 1.47, 95% confidence interval: 1.07–2.02) ethnicity, if their mother was overweight (adjusted odds ratio: 1.32, 95% confidence interval: 1.15–1.51) or had been overweight before pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio: 1.56, 95% confidence interval: 1.36–1.79), if their father was overweight (adjusted odds ratio: 1.56, 95% confidence interval: 1.34–1.81) or if their mother smoked during pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio:1.23, 95% confidence interval: 1.09–1.38). Children were also more likely to gain weight rapidly if others smoked in the same room (adjusted odds ratio: 1.31, 95% confidence interval: 1.16–1.49) or if they were a lone child in the household (adjusted odds ratio: 1.14, 95% confidence interval: 1.01–1.30).

Conclusions:

Factors operating during pregnancy and early life increase the risk of rapid weight gain in young children; thus, signalling the importance of obesity prevention programmes before and during pregnancy and for children at an early age. In particular, these programmes should address parental weight status and smoking habits, both modifiable risk factors.

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Acknowledgements

We thank all of the Millennium Cohort Study families for their cooperation, and the Millennium Cohort Study management team at the Centre for Longitudinal Studies, Institute of Education, University of London. At the time of writing, Lucy Griffiths was supported by an MRC Special Training Fellowship in Health Services and Health of the Public Research (Grant no. G1061221). Tim Cole was funded through an MRC programme (Grant no. G0700961). Carol Dezateux was supported by HEFCE. The Centre for Paediatric Epidemiology and Biostatistics is supported in part by the Medical Research Council in its capacity as the MRC Centre of Epidemiology for Child Health. Research at the UCL Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children receives a proportion of the funding from the Department of Health's National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centres funding scheme. The Millennium Cohort Study is funded by grants to Professor Health Joshi, director of the study, from the Economic and Social Research Council and a consortium of government funders. The study sponsors had no part in the design, data analysis and interpretation of this study, the writing of the paper or the decision to submit the paper for publication and the authors’ work was independent of the funders.

Author information

Author notes

  1. L J Griffiths, S S Hawkins, T J Cole and C Dezateux: Other members of the Millennium Cohort Study Child Health Group include: Anna Pearce, Catherine Peckham, Jugnoo Rahi, Catherine Law, Helen Bedford, Carly Rich, Phillippa Cumberland, Richard Pulsford, Flo Kinnafick, Jane Ahn and Sanja Stanojevic, all at the UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UK.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. MRC Centre of Epidemiology for Child Health, UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UK

    L J Griffiths, S S Hawkins, T J Cole & C Dezateux

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  1. L J Griffiths
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Correspondence to L J Griffiths.

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Griffiths, L., Hawkins, S., Cole, T. et al. Risk factors for rapid weight gain in preschool children: findings from a UK-wide prospective study. Int J Obes 34, 624–632 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2010.10

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