Abstract MP44: Adolescent Predictors Of Changes In Weight Status From Adolescence To Adulthood: Evidence From The Addhealth Study

Abstract

Introduction: The persistence of obesity from adolescent to adult ages is associated with risk of cardiovascular disease later in life. Data from cohorts that passed through childhood before 1980 show that when obesity is first observed in youth it often persists into adulthood. However, less is known about current weight trajectories of adolescents transitioning to adulthood. We examined the changes in weight status from adolescence to adulthood and baseline predictors of normal weight in adulthood. Methods: Study used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (AddHealth) (n=14,135), a nationally representative sample of adolescents recruited in 1994 and followed up in 1996, 2001, and 2008. Weight and height measurements collected at each visit were used to classify weight status; we identified 4 trajectories between mean ages 16 and 30: 1) maintained normal weight, 2) achieved normal weight, 3) gained weight to enter the obesity category, and 4)maintained overweight or obesity. Logistic regression models included individual and family characteristics. Results: Among adolescents with normal weight, 56% gained weight to enter overweight or obesity categories 14 years later. Of those with overweight at baseline, 68% gained weight to enter obesity and 8% achieved normal weight; among adolescents with obesity, 89% maintained obesity, and only 2% achieved normal weight. After controlling for sex, age, race-ethnicity, and baseline weight status, adolescents who were trying to lose weight, skipped breakfast, ate dinner with their parents, had a mother with diabetes or obesity, a father with obesity, parents with less than high-school education, or married in high-school were less likely to have normal weight as adults. Independent of baseline weight status, adolescents who reported feeling loved were more likely to have normal weight in adulthood. Conclusion: Findings shed light on individual and family factors associated with normal weight outcomes after the transition from adolescence to adulthood.