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ARS Home » Plains Area » Houston, Texas » Children's Nutrition Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #180833
Title: TRACKING OF BMI FROM CHILDHOOD TO YOUNG ADULTHOOD

Author
item DESHMUKH-TASKAR, PRIYA - BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MED
item PONNUSAMY, CHITRA - BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MED
item MORALES, MIRIAM - BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MED
item Nicklas, Theresa

Submitted to: Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/1/2003
Publication Date: 4/1/2003
Citation: Deshmukh-Taskar, P.R., Ponnusamy, C., Morales, M., Nicklas, T. Tracking of BMI from childhood to young adulthood. Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. 2003;17:A294.

Interpretive Summary: AN INTERPRETIVE SUMMARY IS NOT REQUIRED

Technical Abstract: Childhood obesity is a public health problem. To understand tracking of body weight from childhood to young adulthood, a longitudinal sample of 841 young adults, ages 19-35 years (68% Euro-Americans (EA), 32% African-Americans (AA)) was studied. These subjects had also participated in the cross-sectional surveys at age 10 years. Body mass index (BMI) was used to determine the overweight status according to the CDC standard of BMI = 85th percentile. Change in BMI status from childhood (baseline) to young adulthood (follow up) was used to group the participants into adiposity categories. The baseline adiposity status was positively correlated to the follow up adiposity status (r=.39, p<.0001). From baseline to follow up, the percent of participants who were overweight increased from 25% to 58%. This increase was due to an alarming shift of 35% of the normal weight participants at baseline into the overweight category at young adulthood. However, only 2.3% of the overweight participants became normal weight at young adulthood (p<.0001). From childhood to young adulthood, the tracking in mean BMI quartile status was 27% (kappa=.27) among the EA males; 23% among the EA females; 27% among AA males and 35% among AA females respectively (p<.001). Also, 20-40% of the participants moved into a higher quartile at young adulthood. These results show that childhood obesity tracks into young adulthood.