Changes in leukocyte telomere length among children with obesity participating in a behavioural weight control program

• Published in: Pediatric obesity 2023-12, Vol.18 (12), p.e13082-e13082
• Main Authors: Rehkopf, David H, Wojcicki, Janet M, Haydel, K Farish, Lin, Jue, Smith, Dana L, Kapphahn, Kristopher I, Robinson, Thomas N
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aging; Behavior Therapy; Biomarkers; Body Mass Index; Child; Childrens health; Female; Humans; Intervention; Leukocytes; Male; Obesity; Obesity - therapy; Pediatrics; Psychological aspects; Telomere; Weight control
• ISSN: 2047-6302; 2047-6310; 2047-6310
• DOI: 10.1111/ijpo.13082

To examine changes in leukocyte telomere length (LTL) during and after a behavioural weight control program for children with obesity. We measured LTL among a cohort of 158 children 8-12 years of age with a body mass index greater than or equal to the 95th percentile for age and sex. Children were 55% female, 29% white, 52% Latinx, 8% Asian and 11% Pacific Islander, other or multiethnic. All children participated in a 6-month, family-based, group behavioural weight control program and were assessed before treatment, after treatment and 1 year after the end of treatment. To test the sample population slope of LTL over the intervention and maintenance time periods, we fit spline mixed-effect regression models. LTL increased an average of 0.09 T/S units per year (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.04 to 0.13; p = 0.0001) during the weight control program intervention period, followed by an average decline of -0.05 T/S units per year (95% CI -0.08 to -0.03; p