Changing Influences on Childhood Obesity: A Study of 2 Generations of the 1958 British Birth Cohort

Explanations for the trend of increasing childhood obesity have yet to be identified. The authors examined members of the 1958 British birth cohort (age 7 years, n = 8,552) and offspring (ages 4–9 years, n = 1,889) born to mothers under age 30 years to establish whether risk factors for childhood ob...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of epidemiology 2010-06, Vol.171 (12), p.1289-1298
Main Authors: Pinot de Moira, Angela, Power, Chris, Li, Leah
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Age Factors
Biological and medical sciences
Body Mass Index
Child
Cohort Studies
Employment - statistics & numerical data
Epidemiology
Female
General aspects
Generations
Great Britain
Humans
Influence
Linear Models
Logistic Models
Male
Medical sciences
Metabolic diseases
Miscellaneous
Obesity
Obesity - epidemiology
Obesity - etiology
overweight
Parents
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Risk Factors
Sex Factors
Social change
Socioeconomic Factors
Studies
United Kingdom - epidemiology
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Summary:Explanations for the trend of increasing childhood obesity have yet to be identified. The authors examined members of the 1958 British birth cohort (age 7 years, n = 8,552) and offspring (ages 4–9 years, n = 1,889) born to mothers under age 30 years to establish whether risk factors for childhood obesity have changed over time (1965–1991). The authors applied multilevel linear and logistic models that account for within-family correlations in order to examine associations between risk factors and childhood body mass index (BMI; weight (kg)/height (m)2) (age- and sex-specific standard deviation scores and overweight/obesity) in the 2 populations. The authors found that the prevalence of overweight/obesity had increased by more than 50% between generations. Parental BMI and full-time maternal employment were both positively associated with offspring BMI in childhood (e.g., an increase of 0.4–0.5 units for maternal employment); these associations had strengthened between generations. There was evidence of a widening social gap in childhood obesity: Indicators of lower socioeconomic position showed either no association or a protective effect in cohort members but were associated with increased BMI in offspring. Prevalences of parental obesity and maternal employment had increased. Socioeconomic factors had improved across generations. Parental obesity, maternal employment, and socioeconomic factors may play an increasing role in the childhood obesity epidemic.
ISSN:0002-9262
1476-6256
DOI:10.1093/aje/kwq083