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Evolution of obesity in a low birth weight cohort

Journal of Perinatology volume 32, pages 91–96 (2012)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

The objective of this study was to determine the evolution of obesity status (OS) in a longitudinal cohort of low birth weight preterm (LBWPT) infants to an age of 8 years, and to determine whether rapid weight gain in the first year of life independently predicts 8-year OS.

Study Design:

In total, 985 infants (birth weight ⩽2500 g, gestation age ⩽37 weeks) were recruited from the nursery in an eight-site intervention research program and were evaluated at an age of 3, 5, 6.5 and 8 years. Weight and height were measured by standard protocol at each visit and body mass index was calculated. Obesity status is ⩾95% for age and sex. Multiple logistic analyses were performed on 8-year OS with predictor variables including infant race, gender, small for gestational age status, birth weight category, neonatal health index, treatment group and first-year weight gain; maternal education and weight status before conception; and HOME Inventory.

Result:

Overall, 2.3% were OS at an age of 3 years, 6.1% at an age of 5 years, 7.7% at age 6.5 years and 8.7% at an age 8 years. OS varied by birth weight category at each visit. The infants born ⩽1500 g had the lowest prevalence of OS at each age. In the logistic regression, maternal race (Hispanic) (adjusted odds ratio=2.8, confidence interval=1.2 to 6.8), maternal obese status (adjusted odds ratio 3.4, confidence interval=1.5 to 7.8) and first-year weight gain (adjusted odds ratio=2.7, confidence interval=1.9 to 3.9), significantly predicted 8-year OS.

Conclusion:

OS is common in LBWPT infants during childhood, and prevalence varies by birth weight category. High weight gain in the first year of life is an important predictor of the development of OS in LBWPT children.

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Acknowledgements

The participating universities and site directors in the IHDP were as follows: Patrick H Casey, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (Little Rock, AR); Cecelia M McCarton, Albert Einstein College of Medicine (Bronx, NY); Michael W Yogman and Marie C McCormick, Harvard Medical School (Boston, MA); Charles R Bauer and Keith G Scott, University of Miami School of Medicine (Miami, FL); Judith Bernbaum, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (Philadelphia, PA); Jon E Tyson and Mark Swanson, University of Texas Health Science Center at Dallas (Dallas, TX); Clifford J Sells and Forrest Bennett, University of Washington School of Medicine (Seattle, WA); and David T Scott, Yale University School of Medicine (New Haven, CT). The Infant Health and Development Program was supported in its first three years by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; follow-up evaluations were supported by the Pew Charitable Trust, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and by the Maternal Child Health Bureau, with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Statistical analyses for this manuscript were supported by a Children's University Medical Group grant from the Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA

    P H Casey, L Whiteside-Mansell, K Barrett & J M Gossett

  2. Family and Human Dynamics Research Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    R H Bradley

  3. Translational and Biomedical Center, Children's Research Institute, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    P M Simpson

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  1. P H Casey
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Correspondence to P H Casey.

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Casey, P., Bradley, R., Whiteside-Mansell, L. et al. Evolution of obesity in a low birth weight cohort. J Perinatol 32, 91–96 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2011.75

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