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Epidemiology and Population Health

Body weight in childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood in relation to later risk of disabilities and early retirement among Danish female nurses

International Journal of Obesity (2024)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background

Obesity is now the most common health problem in the younger population in Western societies and obesity rates are higher in lower socioeconomic status (SES) groups. We investigated whether overweight in childhood, independently of overweight in adulthood, influenced adult employment status and later risk of having disabilities. Using data from the Danish Female Nurse Cohort study, we examined associations between overweight in childhood/adolescence, and young adulthood and disabilities and early retirement in later adulthood (>44 years) and whether it was influenced by menopausal age (<or ≥52 years). We analysed data from 10,363 female nurses recruited in 1999, who reported whether they, as children, were larger or of similar weight size as their peers at any age below 13 years, between 13 and 19 years, their weights, and heights at 25 years, their current work situation and whether they had had disabilities for more than 6 months.

Results

Our results showed that overweight in childhood, adolescence and young adulthood was associated with an increased risk of disabilities and early retirement. Especially childhood overweight that did not persist into adulthood was associated with an increased risk of disabilities (OR = 1.82, 95% CI = 1.26–2.63) and early retirement (OR = 2.05, 95% CI = 1.38–3.03) in the postmenopausal group. A similar increased risk for disabilities (OR = 1.76, 95% CI = 1.26–2.47) was seen for adolescent overweight that did not persist into adulthood.

Conclusion

The results show that in a well-educated population of women, overweight in childhood and/or adolescence had adverse socioeconomic consequences for later risk of disabilities and early retirement irrespective of weight status in adulthood.

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Fig. 1: Flowchart of included participants.
Fig. 2: Odds ratio for disabilities and early retirement in relation to different weight categories in childhood and adulthood.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Code availability

Computer codes generated during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Notes

  1. Efterløn

  2. Folkepension

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Research Unit for Dietary Studies, The Parker Institute, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, The Capital Region, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Hanna Kruse Reiband, Rikke Tannenberg Klemmensen & Berit Lilienthal Heitmann

  2. The Danish Cancer Institute, Research Centre, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Susanne Rosthøj

  3. Section of Biostatistics, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Susanne Rosthøj

  4. Center for Childhood Health, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Thorkild I. A. Sørensen

  5. Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Thorkild I. A. Sørensen

  6. NNF Centre for Basic Metabolic Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Thorkild I. A. Sørensen

  7. Department of Public Health, Section for general Practise, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Berit Lilienthal Heitmann

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Contributions

HKR was responsible for designing and writing the article, interpreting results, updating reference lists and creating tables. RTK was responsible for extracting and analysing data and contributed to creating tables and writing the article. SR contributed to extracting and analysing data, interpreting results and provided feedback. TIAS contributed to the design of the article, writing the article and interpreting results and provided feedback. BLH contributed to the design of the article, writing the article and interpreting results and provided feedback.

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Correspondence to Hanna Kruse Reiband.

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Reiband, H.K., Klemmensen, R.T., Rosthøj, S. et al. Body weight in childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood in relation to later risk of disabilities and early retirement among Danish female nurses. Int J Obes (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-024-01487-6

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