|
Society
Class, Teenage
Size Tied to Adult Obesity
NEW
YORK (Reuters Health) - Some children born to overweight mothers
and into less well-off families may be destined for a life of
obesity, researchers suggest.
By the age
of 1 year, children born to families in higher social classes
were already leaner than their peers born into families that were
less well off, and remained thinner into their 30s. Similarly,
the children of mothers in all social classes with a higher pre-pregnancy
body mass index (BMI) remained heavier than children born to thinner
moms.
A BMI of at
least 25 is considered overweight and 30 and above is obese. BMI
is the ratio of weight in kilograms divided by the height in meters
squared.
``During childhood
and adolescence, the manner of living and concerns of suitable
body image are learned in a societal context,'' according to Dr.
Jaana Laitinen from the Oulu Regional Institute of Occupational
Health in Finland and colleagues. For example, healthy lifestyle
habits are more common and societal pressure for thinness more
intense in higher social classes, they explain.
Early menarche,
or age at first period, and BMI at age 14 were also linked to
overweight and obesity in adulthood. Nearly 90% of men who were
obese at age 14 were either overweight or obese at age 31, the
authors report in the September issue of the American Journal
of Clinical Nutrition.
The findings
highlight the effect that early childhood can have on a person's
weight for years to come, and underscore the need for certain
groups of people to take steps to improve their health, the researchers
note. Obesity, which is increasing worldwide, is a major risk
factor for heart disease, type 2 diabetes and a host of other
chronic diseases.
``Differences
in BMI and in the prevalence of obesity in adulthood between social
classes appear to be formed at least partly during early childhood,''
Laitinen and co-authors conclude. ``Persons with (certain background
factors) form specific high-risk groups for obesity prevention.''
The study
of nearly 3,000 men and more than 3,400 women born in 1966 found
that 40% of the men and 20% of the women were overweight by the
age of 31 and 8% of men and 9% of women were obese.
SOURCE:
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2001;74:287-294.
Reference
Source 89
For more information on how to prevent other diseases, use
PreventDisease.com's "Quick
Prevention Resources".
|
