• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.69-77
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to determine the probability of overweight throughout childhood in relation to the presence of overweight at birch or in early childhood, and presence of overweight in children's parents. Weight and height measures were collected at birth and at ages of 7, 10, 12 years from 655 6th grade primary schoolchildren. Childhood overweight was defined as a body mass index at or above the 85th percentile for age and sex, and overweight in children's parents as a body mass index at or above 27. The prevalence of overweight increased with age of the children. Overweight at birth was not associated with overweight at 12 years of ages. However, overweight at 12 years old was already related to overweight at 7 years old. In comparison to non-overweight peers, overweight children at ages 7(OR = 7.64, 95% CI = 4.32-13.51) and 10 years(OR = 19.69, 95% CI = 11.42-33.94) had a higher rick of becoming overweight at 12 years of age. Among children who was overweight at age 7years, 60.7% remained overweight 5 years later, Yearly increment in BMI of overweight children was larger than that of non-obese children (1.15-1.65kg/m$^2$vs 0.50-0.71kg/m$^2$. As compared with the lower case in mealy increment of BMI, the probability of being overweight at age of 12 years was greater in higher case. BMI values at age 7years were positively correlated with BMI values at age of 10 and 127ear,i, and with annual increments in BMI. But those relationships with birth weight were not observed. Children were at greater risk for overweight if at least ogle parent was overweight. The odds ratio for child overweight associated with maternal overweight was 2.41(95% CI = 1,13-5.IS), and those associated with paternal overweight 1.70(95% CI = 0.92-3.17). And parents' BMIs were positively correlated with children's BMI values and yearly BMI increment. In conclusion, overweight at early childhood and annual inclement in BMI can be important in predicting the prevalence of overweight and the risk that overweight will remain after 7 years of age. The risk of being overweight throughout the childhood increases by the parents'overweight.