@article{ref1,
title="Stability of body mass index in Australian children: a prospective cohort study across the middle childhood years",
journal="Public health nutrition",
year="2004",
author="Hesketh, Kylie and Wake, Melissa and Waters, Elizabeth and Carlin, John and Crawford, David",
volume="7",
number="2",
pages="303-309",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence and incidence of overweight and obesity, the frequency of overweight resolution and the influence of parental adiposity during middle childhood. DESIGN: As part of a prospective cohort study, height and weight were measured in 1997 and 2000/2001. Children were classified as non-overweight, overweight or obese based on standard international definitions. Body mass index (BMI) was transformed into age- and gender-specific Z-scores employing the LMS method and 2000 growth chart data of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Parents self-reported height and weight, and were classified as underweight, healthy weight, overweight or obese based on World Health Organization definitions. SETTING: Primary schools in Victoria, Australia. SUBJECTS: In total, 1438 children aged 5-10 years at baseline. RESULTS: The prevalence of overweight and obesity increased between baseline (15.0 and 4.3%, respectively) and follow-up (19.7 and 4.8%, respectively; P<0.001 for increase in overweight and obesity combined). There were 140 incident cases of overweight (9.7% of the cohort) and 24 of obesity (1.7% of the cohort); only 3.8% of the cohort (19.8% of overweight/obese children) resolved to a healthy weight. The stability of child adiposity as measured by BMI category (84.8% remained in the same category) and BMI Z-score (r=0.84; mean change=-0.05) was extremely high. Mean change in BMI Z-score decreased with age (linear trend beta=0.03, 95% confidence interval 0.01-0.05). The influence of parental adiposity largely disappeared when children's baseline BMI was adjusted for. CONCLUSIONS: During middle childhood, the incidence of overweight/obesity exceeds the proportion of children resolving to non-overweight. However, for most children adiposity remains stable, and stability appears to increase with age. Prevention strategies targeting children in early childhood are required.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1368-9800",
doi="",
url="http://dx.doi.org/"
}