Tracking of fatness during childhood, adolescence and young adulthood: a 7-year follow-up study in Madeira Island, Portugal

Abstract

Aims: Investigating tracking of fatness from childhood to adolescence, early adolescence to young adulthood and late adolescence to young adulthood. Subjects and methods: Participants from the Madeira Growth Study were followed during an average period of 7.2 years. Height, body mass, skin-folds and circumferences were measured, nine health-and performance-related tests were administered and the Baecke questionnaire was used to assess physical activity. Skeletal maturity was estimated using the TW3 method. Results: The prevalence of overweight plus obesity ranged from 8.2 -20.0% at baseline and from 20.4-40.0% at followup, in boys. Corresponding percentages for girls were 10.6-12.0% and 13.2-18.0%. Inter-age correlations for fatness indicators ranged from 0.43-0.77. BMI, waist circumference and sum of skin-folds at 8, 12 and 16-years old were the main predictors of these variables at 15, 19 and 23-years old, respectively. Strength, muscular endurance and aerobic fitness were negatively related to body fatness. Physical activity and maturation were independently associated with adolescent (15 years) and young adult (19 years) fatness. Conclusions: Over 7.2 years, tracking was moderate-to-high for fatness. Variance was explained by fatness indicators and to a small extent by physical fitness, physical activity and maturation.

Birthweight, body composition, and motor performance in 7‐ to 10‐year‐old children

“…The present study reinforces the great deal of importance that has been focused on the influence of BMI and fat mass on motor performance tests. 10,26,34 These results can be confounded by other variables such as physical activity levels, for example.…”

“…The present study reinforces the great deal of importance that has been focused on the influence of BMI and fat mass on motor performance tests. 10,26,34 These results can be confounded by other variables such as physical activity levels, for example.To study the associations among birthweight, body composition, and motor performance without overestimating the influence of birthweight and unduly selective emphasis on particular results, the present study used multiple linear regression models of increasing complexity. It was shown that the expectations of mean changes in the handgrip strength and 20-meter sprint time per 1g increase in birthweight in children are independent of current height, BMI, FFM, and % body fat.…”

Effect of living area and sports club participation on physical fitness in children: a 4 year longitudinal study

“…Recent studies regarding the health burden of chronic diseases revealed significant inverse associations between physical fitness and various cardiovascular risk factors (e.g., blood pressure, insulin resistance, cholesterol/lipids, overweight/adiposity) in children and adolescents [1-3]. Further, there is evidence that physical fitness and its health-related outcomes track from childhood over adolescence into adulthood [4,5]. In fact, findings from longitudinal studies indicate that higher levels of physical fitness during childhood and adolescence are associated with a healthier cardiovascular profile in adulthood (for a review see [6]).…”

Joint associations of body mass index and waist-to-height ratio with sleep duration among Saudi adolescents

“…However, higher BMI during childhood appears to associate with an increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in adulthood (Baker et al, 2007). Obesity indices such as BMI and WC were found to have moderate-to-high tracking from adolescence to young adulthood (Freitas et al, 2012). Moreover, abdominal obesity among adults appears to be a better indicator of all cause mortality than BMI and the relative risks seem stronger in younger than in older adults and in those with low BMI than in those with high BMI (Seidell, 2010).…”