The Growth of Children in Relation to the Timing of Obesity Development

Abstract

To examine whether there is an association between the timing of the development of obesity and children's growth. This study investigated 141 prepubertal obese children (76 girls) and 72 healthy non-obese children (39 girls). The target height standard deviation score (SDS), the percentage weight for height, and the height SDS (H-SDS) at presentation and at the age of 2 years were calculated. Patients were classified, according to whether obesity developed before or after the age of 3 years, as presenting with early-onset or late-onset obesity, respectively. Mean age (+/-SD) at presentation was 9.4 (2.1) years. At the age of 2 years, the H-SDS of the children with early-onset obesity was 1.3 (1.0) vs. 0.9 (1.3) for the late-onset obese (p > 0.5) and 0.4 (1.0) for controls (p < 0.001), and the children with late-onset obesity were also significantly taller than controls (p < 0.005). At presentation, children with early-onset obesity were significantly taller than children with late-onset obesity [1.1 (0.8) vs. 0.6 (1.0); p < 0.001] and controls [0.2 (0.8); p < 0.001]. There was no increase in H-SDS after the age of 2 years in the late-onset obese children (p > 0.05). H-SDS values were below average in 21% of the children with late-onset obesity and in only 4% of the children with early-onset obesity. These findings indicate that late development of obesity is not associated with increased stature in prepubertal children; however, it may be preceded by growth acceleration in the early years of life. Growth acceleration in early life may be a predictor for future obesity.