Dataset Information

The utility of childhood and adolescent obesity assessment in relation to adult health.

ABSTRACT:

Background

High childhood obesity prevalence has raised concerns about future adult health, generating calls for obesity screening of young children.

Objective

To estimate how well childhood obesity predicts adult obesity and to forecast obesity-related health of future US adults.

Design

Longitudinal statistical analyses; microsimulations combining multiple data sets.

Data sources

National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, Population Study of Income Dynamics, and National Health and Nutrition Evaluation Surveys.

Methods

The authors estimated test characteristics and predictive values of childhood body mass index to identify 2-, 5-, 10-, and 15 year-olds who will become obese adults. The authors constructed models relating childhood body mass index to obesity-related diseases through middle age stratified by sex and race.

Results

Twelve percent of 18-year-olds were obese. While screening at age 5 would miss 50% of those who become obese adults, screening at age 15 would miss 9%. The predictive value of obesity screening below age 10 was low even when maternal obesity was included as a predictor. Obesity at age 5 was a substantially worse predictor of health in middle age than was obesity at age 15. For example, the relative risk of developing diabetes as adults for obese white male 15-year-olds was 4.5 versus otherwise similar nonobese 15-year-olds. For obese 5-year-olds, the relative risk was 1.6.

Limitation

Main results do not include Hispanics due to sample size. Past relationships between childhood and adult obesity and health may change in the future.

Conclusion

Early childhood obesity assessment adds limited information to later childhood assessment. Targeted later childhood approaches or universal strategies to prevent unhealthy weight gain should be considered.

SUBMITTER: Goldhaber-Fiebert JD

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3968272 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

The utility of childhood and adolescent obesity assessment in relation to adult health.

Goldhaber-Fiebert Jeremy D JD Rubinfeld Rachel E RE Bhattacharya Jay J Robinson Thomas N TN Wise Paul H PH

Medical decision making : an international journal of the Society for Medical Decision Making 20120529 2

<h4>Background</h4>High childhood obesity prevalence has raised concerns about future adult health, generating calls for obesity screening of young children.<h4>Objective</h4>To estimate how well childhood obesity predicts adult obesity and to forecast obesity-related health of future US adults.<h4>Design</h4>Longitudinal statistical analyses; microsimulations combining multiple data sets.<h4>Data sources</h4>National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, Population Study of Income Dynamics, and Nationa ...[more]

PMID: 22647830

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Project description:ImportanceDepression is a leading cause of disability. The timing and persistence of depression may be differentially associated with long-term mental health and psychosocial outcomes.ObjectiveTo examine if depression symptoms during early and middle childhood and adolescence and persistent depression symptoms are associated with impaired young adult outcomes independent of early risk factors.Design, setting, and participantsData for this prospective, longitudinal cohort study were from the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, a representative population-based Canadian birth cohort. The cohort consists of infants born from October 1, 1997, to July 31, 1998. This is an ongoing study; data are collected annually or every 2 years and include those ages 5 months to 21 years. The end date for the data in this study was June 30, 2019, and data analyses were performed from October 4, 2022, to January 3, 2024.ExposuresDepression symptoms were assessed using maternal reports in early childhood (ages 1.5 to 6 years) from 1999 to 2004, teacher reports in middle childhood (ages 7 to 12 years) from 2005 to 2010, and self-reports in adolescence (ages 13 to 17 years) from 2011 to 2015.Main outcomes and measuresThe primary outcome was depression symptoms at age 20 years, and secondary outcomes were indicators of psychosocial functioning (binge drinking; perceived stress; not being in education, employment, or training; social support; and experiencing online harrasment) at age 21 years. All outcomes were self-reported. Adult outcomes were reported by participants at ages 20 and 21 years from 2017 to 2019. Risk factors assessed when children were aged 5 months old were considered as covariates to assess the independent associations of childhood and adolescent depression symptoms with adult outcomes.ResultsThe cohort consisted of 2120 infants. The analytic sample size varied from 1118 to 1254 participants across outcomes (56.85% to 57.96% female). Concerning the primary outcome, adjusting for early risk factors and multiple testing, depression symptoms during adolescence were associated with higher levels of depression symptoms (β, 1.08 [95% CI, 0.84-1.32]; P < .001 unadjusted and Bonferroni adjusted) in young adulthood. Concerning the secondary outcomes, depression symptoms in adolescence were only associated with perceived stress (β, 3.63 [95% CI, 2.66-4.60]; P < .001 unadjusted and Bonferroni adjusted), while both middle-childhood (β, -1.58 [95% CI, -2.65 to -0.51]; P = .003 unadjusted and P < .001 Bonferroni adjusted) and adolescent (β, -1.97 [95% CI, -2.53 to -1.41]; P < .001 unadjusted and Bonferroni adjusted) depression symptoms were associated with lower levels of social support. There were no associations for binge drinking; not being in education, employment, or training; or experiencing online harrasment.Conclusions and relevanceIn this cohort study of Canadian children and adolescents, childhood and adolescent depression symptoms were associated with impaired adult psychosocial functioning. Interventions should aim to screen and monitor children and adolescents for depression to inform policymaking regarding young adult mental health and psychosocial outcomes.

Dataset Information

The utility of childhood and adolescent obesity assessment in relation to adult health.

Background

Objective

Design

Data sources

Methods

Results

Limitation

Conclusion

Publications

The utility of childhood and adolescent obesity assessment in relation to adult health.

Similar Datasets

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