The Biological and Social Determinants of Childhood Obesity: Comparison of 2 Cohorts 50 Years Apart

Objective To determine whether the same relationships between early-life risk factors and socioeconomic status (SES) with childhood body mass index (BMI) are observed in a modern cohort (2000) compared historic (1947). Study design The SES BMI were examined 2 prospective birth cohorts from region, born 50 years apart: 711 children 1947 Newcastle Thousand Families Study (NTFS) 475 2000 Gateshead Millennium (GMS). associations weight, breastfeeding, rapid infancy growth (0-12 months), adversity parental (birth childhood) z-scores overweight/obese (BMI >91st percentile using UK 1990 reference) aged 9 linear regression, path analyses, logistic regression. Results In NTFS, most advantaged taller than least (+0.91 height z-score, P = .001), whereas GMS they had lower odds of (0.35 [95% CI 0.14-0.86]). Rapid was associated increased both cohorts, likelihood GMS. Conclusions This study suggests that exposed to disadvantage or who have environments now at restriction but greater overweight.