A Child's BMI At This Age Can Predict If They Will Be Obese As Adult
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Researchers tracked 3,528 children in the Netherlands.
A one-unit increase in BMI at age six doubles obesity odds at 18.
Interventions in early childhood can prevent future obesity risks.
The body mass index (BMI) of a child at the age of six is the best predictor of whether they will be obese in adulthood, a new study has claimed. Academics from the Netherlands said the first five years were critical in preventing weight gain in later years.
The researchers used data from a study known as Generation R to track the BMI of 3,528 children in the Netherlands at ages two, six, 10, 14 and 18, according to a report in The Guardian. Scientists found that 32.3 per cent were overweight or obese at age two, 22.3 per cent at age six, 24.7 per cent at age 10 and 20.6 per cent at age 14.
The findings were presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Malaga, Spain, where researchers stated that every one-unit increase in BMI at the age of six more than doubled the child’s odds of being overweight or obese at 18.
“We need to understand how children grow and develop if we are to help future generations grow up healthier and give every child a chance at a happy, healthy life,” said Jasmin de Groot of Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre Rotterdam.
“The first five years of a child’s life provide a fantastic opportunity to intervene and prevent them experiencing overweight and obesity in the years to come.”
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The researchers highlighted that if a child with a higher BMI reached a healthy weight by the age of six, they were no longer at risk.
“Our research assists with this by showing that a child with overweight or obesity isn’t destined to live with overweight or obesity as a young adult – and that the first five years of a child’s life provide a fantastic opportunity to intervene and prevent them experiencing overweight and obesity in the years to come.”
Additional research presented at the congress showed that ultra-processed foods such as packaged snacks and fizzy drinks, coupled with a sedentary lifestyle and excessive screen time, contributed to unhealthy weight in individuals.
