Rapid weight gain during infancy and obesity in young adulthood in a cohort of African Americans

• Published in: The American journal of clinical nutrition 2003-06, Vol.77 (6), p.1374-1378
• Main Authors: Stettler, Nicolas, Kumanyika, Shiriki K, Katz, Solomon H, Zemel, Babette S, Stallings, Virginia A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; adulthood; African Americans; African Continental Ancestry Group; Babies; Biological and medical sciences; body mass index; childhood; Cohort Studies; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; infancy; Infant; Male; mechanism of action; Obesity; Obesity - ethnology; Obesity - pathology; Obesity - physiopathology; Odds Ratio; public health; Retrospective Studies; risk; risk factors; Skinfold Thickness; Time Factors; Weight control; Weight Gain; Young adults
• ISSN: 0002-9165; 1938-3207
• DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/77.6.1374

Background: Obesity is increasing in the United States. Evidence-based prevention is a public health priority and should target well-defined risk factors and critical periods. Objective: We tested the hypothesis that rapid weight gain during early infancy is associated with obesity in African American young adults, a group at increased risk of obesity. Design: A cohort of 300 African Americans born at full term was followed from birth to 20 y of age. A pattern of rapid weight gain was defined as an increase in weight-for-age ≥ 1 SD between birth and 4 mo. Results: About 29% of subjects had a pattern of rapid weight gain during infancy; 8% were obese [body mass index (in kg/m2) ≥ 30] at age 20 y. One-third of the obesity at age 20 y could be attributed to rapid weight gain in the first 4 mo of life. After adjustment for confounding factors, subjects with rapid weight gain during early infancy were more likely to become obese at age 20 y (odds ratio = 5.22; 95% CI: 1.55, 17.6; P = 0.008). The results were confirmed by using a combination of body mass index and skinfold thickness (odds ratio = 6.72; 95% CI: 1.93, 23.4; P = 0.003). Conclusions: The results of the present study provide evidence that a pattern of rapid weight gain during early infancy is associated with obesity not only in childhood but also in young adulthood. We propose that early infancy constitutes a critical period for the development of obesity. Mechanisms of action and prevention strategies require further investigation.