A Practical Screening Tool to Predict Early Childhood Obesity Risk: Examining a Birth Cohort. (March 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Gannon, James; Pollock, Allison J.; Allen, David B.; Kling, Pamela J.
• Is Part Of: Clinical pediatrics. Volume 60:Number 3(2021)
• Page Start: 178
• Page End: 183
• Publication Date: 2021-03
• Subjects: maternal obesity -- gestational weight gain -- large for gestational age -- BMI Z-score (zBMI) -- risk factors -- breastfeeding; Pediatrics -- Periodicals; 618.920005
• DOI: 10.1177/0009922820971006
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0009-9228

Abstract

Children obese at the age of 5 years are at greater risk of lifelong obesity. Because certain risks of obesity can be identified in early infancy, a tool for obesity risk prediction in early life would be clinically useful. We investigated predictors of obesity risk in a novel, prospectively collected healthy birth cohort recruited for demographic risks to develop iron deficiency at 1 year, a cohort leveraged because risk factors for iron deficiency and obesity overlap. Obesity at the age of 5 years was defined as age- and sex-specific body mass index Z -score ( z BMI) >2SD. For each child, obesity risk factors were summed. Of 10 total risk factors, the following 4 key risks were identified: maternal obesity, maternal diabetes, large for gestational age, or breastfeeding <6 months. Childhood obesity was predicted by either ≥3 total number of risks ( P < .033), any key risk ( P < .002), or summing key risks ( P < .0001). In clinical practice, summing early life risk factors may be a useful strategy for preemptive counseling.