Abstract
This study examined the prospective relationships between preschoolers’ body mass index (BMI) and cognitive development. BMI, cognitive (i.e., Brigance), sex, and age data were collected from seven cohorts of children attending Head Start from 2012 to 2018. Children (N = 324) with two years of complete data were included. After controlling for the first year cognitive development scores, age, gender, and the cohort, the BMI was predictive of lower cognitive development scores in year two (B = −0.06, β = −0.14, t = −3.19, p = 0.002). Female sex (B = 2.69, β = 0.10, t = 2.30, p = 0.022) and older age (B = 0.02, β = 0.15, t = 3.20, p ≤ 0.001) were also shown to be statistically significant predictors of improved year two cognitive scores. The initial BMI scores were associated with poorer one year cognitive development scores in this sample of preschool children. Excessive body mass may contribute to numerous biological, psychological, and social factors that inhibit children with obesity from reaching their full cognitive potential, during a time in which brain development and cognitive skills development are at critical points of growth. Early childhood obesity interventions may have positive consequences for cognitive development, but additional prospective studies are needed to confirm these results.
Highlights
Obesity is an epidemic in the United States [1]
After controlling for the first year cognitive development score, the initial body mass index (BMI) percentile was predictive of less cognitive development in year two (B = −0.06, β = −0.13, t = −2.90, p = 0.004)
To further rule out this being due to any other variables, we included gender, age, and cohort, and found the statistically significant association of initial BMI percentile with cognitive development after a year remained relatively unaffected (B = −0.06, β = −0.14, t = −3.19, p = 0.002)
Summary
As of 2018, the obesity prevalence level had increased to 19.2% in children aged 2–19 years [2]. Children aged 2 to 5 years have an obesity prevalence of 13.4%, going up to 20.3% in those aged 6 to 11 years [3]. In children, being overweight is considered as between the 85th and 95th percentile compared to children of the same age and sex, while being over the 95th percentile is considered obese [4]. The early years of a child’s life are crucial and can impact being overweight and obesity later in life [7,8]. These trends in obesity among children, and the positive association with subsequent obesity in adulthood, are a growing health concern
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