Objective: Obesity is associated with multiple health problems and often originates in childhood. This study investigated the association of genes with the development of general and central obesity from childhood into adulthood. Design: Individual growth curves for measures of general adiposity were examined in an 11-year (1987-1998) cohort study. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 11 candidate genes were genotyped. Subjects: Five hundred and twenty-six subjects classified by race (49% African American (AA)), sex (47% male) and socioeconomic status (SES). Results: AA female carriers of the 27Glu allele in the ADRB2 gene had a larger waist circumference (Po0.05). Subjects of high SES with the ApoB 4145Lys allele had a larger mean waist circumference than those without this allele (Po0.05). Only in the presence of an adverse environment (low SES) did carriers of the NOS3 298Asp allele have a larger mean body mass index, waist circumference and sum of skinfolds (Po0.05). Conclusion: These results suggest that several polymorphisms are associated with the mean level of adiposity, with the effects depending on other factors such as race, sex and/or SES.