Body mass index is associated with the maternal lines but height is heritable across family lines in the Lifeways Cross-Generation Cohort Study.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Overweight and obesity is a problem in children in particular and determining pathways of transmission is important in prevention. We aimed to examine associations for body mass index (BMI) across three generations of the same families.

Participants

Members of 556 families in the Lifeways Cross-Generation Cohort Study 2001-2014.

Setting

Community-based study with linkage to health records in the Republic of Ireland.

Methods

Employing a novel mixed-method approach which adjusts for age and familial group, BMI correlations were estimated at three ages of the index child, that is, at birth and at ages 5 and 9. Height was also examined for comparative purposes.

Results

Correlation of offspring's BMI with that of the mother increased with age (corr

SUBMITTER: Kelly GE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4275682 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature