Abstract
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) may contribute to obesity. Childhood obesity is a strong predictor of adult obesity and morbidity; however, the relationship between PAHs and obesity in young children (e.g., aged 3-5) has not been studied. We examined the association between urinary PAH metabolites and measures of obesity in children. We analyzed data from 3667 children aged 3-18 years who participated in the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS, 2009-2015). We ran separate multivariable linear models to estimate the association between quartiles of PAH metabolites and each of body mass index (BMI) percentile, waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) in the total population, as well as in the age subgroups 3-5, 6-11, and 12-18, adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, education, income quintile, diet, creatinine, and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. A multinomial logistic regression model estimated adjusted odds ratios for risk of central obesity. BMI, WC, and WHtR were positively associated with total PAH and naphthalene metabolites in the total population aged 3-18 and in age groups 6-11 and 12-18. In 3-5 year olds, WHtR, but not BMI, was significantly associated with total PAH, naphthalene, and phenanthrene metabolites. Overall, those in the highest quartile for naphthalene or total PAH metabolites had three times greater odds of having central obesity compared with those in the lowest quartile. Urinary PAH metabolites are associated with WHtR, an indicator of central obesity and predictor of health risks associated with obesity, in children as young as 3-5.
Highlights
Obesity is a serious global public health challenge representing one of the leading causes of morbidity, mortality, and health care expenditure worldwide.[1,2] The global age-standardized prevalence of obesity in children increased more than eight-fold between 1975 and 2016; in 2016, there were 124 million children aged 5–19 worldwide who were obese.[3]
There is considerable evidence to demonstrate that obesity in children persists into adulthood, with obese children being more than five times more likely to be obese as adults than nonobese children [pooled relative risk 5.21, 95% CI 4.50–6.02]
The population was just above the 60th body mass index (BMI) percentile for age and sex, had an average waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) of 0.47, and 23% were at risk of or had a high probability of central obesity (i.e., WHtR >= 0.50)
Summary
Obesity is a serious global public health challenge representing one of the leading causes of morbidity, mortality, and health care expenditure worldwide.[1,2] The global age-standardized prevalence of obesity in children increased more than eight-fold between 1975 and 2016; in 2016, there were 124 million children aged 5–19 worldwide who were obese.[3]. Epidemiological studies have shown an association between exposure to environmental chemicals including pesticides, phthalates, flame retardants, bisphenol A, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and an increased risk of obesity.[8,9,10,11,12]
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