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Cited by 59Obesity, Physical Activity, DietNutrition, Health and Food BehaviorCancer Risks and Factors

Why do some overweight children remain overweight, whereas others do not?

Open access
Wang, Youfa, Ge, Keyou, Popkin, Barry M·2003·Public Health Nutrition
DOI 10.1079/phn2003470
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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To study the dynamics of childhood overweight and the influence of dietary intake on tracking of overweight. DESIGN AND SETTING: A follow-up study conducted in China. SUBJECTS: Ninety-five overweight children, 6-13 years old, identified from 1455 children at baseline, were followed over a 2-year period. METHODS: Data on anthropometry and 3-day dietary intake were collected at baseline and during follow-up. Overweight was defined using the International Obesity Task Force reference of body mass index (BMI)-for-age. Differences between groups were tested using analysis of variance and Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel tests. RESULTS: Of the 95 overweight children, 36.8% remained overweight 2 years later ('tracking group'). Urban boys were three times more likely than rural boys to remain overweight (63.2% vs. 21.9%). At baseline, the tracking group had higher BMI, body weight and fat intake (% of energy), and lower carbohydrate intake (% of energy), than the non-tracking group (who shifted from overweight to not overweight); they were more likely to have a high-fat or high-meat diet, but less likely to have a diet high in carbohydrate or vegetables and fruit. During the follow-up, the tracking group increased fat intake and reduced carbohydrate intake while the non-tracking group did not; and they also grew slower in height but faster in weight. Tracking of overweight seemed to be related to tracking of high-meat (relative risk (RR) 2.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.0-5.6, P < 0.05) and high-fat (RR 1.5, 95% CI 0.9-2.5, P < 0.1) diets. CONCLUSION: Considerable changes in children's overweight status during childhood and adolescence were observed in China, a transitional society. Dietary patterns, particularly dietary composition, seemed to influence the tracking patterns of overweight.

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  1. Serdula MK, Ivery D, Coates RJ, Freedman DS, Williamson DF, Byers T. Do obese children become obese adults? Preventive Medicine 1993; 22: 167-77.
  2. Rothman KJ, Greenland S. Modern Epidemiology, 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott-Raven, 1998.
  3. Institute of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine. Food Composition Table. Beijing: People's Health Press, 1991.
  4. Willett WC. Nutritional Epidemiology. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998; 273-301.

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Authors
Wang, Y., Ge, K., & Popkin, B. M.
Affiliations
  • University of Illinois Chicago (US)
  • Chinese Center For Disease Control and Prevention (CN)
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
Corresponding author
Wang, Youfa
ORCID
Popkin, Barry M
Venue
Public Health Nutrition
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Published
2003-09
Volume
6
Issue
6
Pages
549-558
ISSN
  • 1368-9800 (ISSN-L)
  • 1475-2727
DOI
10.1079/phn2003470
OpenAlex
W2020947596
Cited by
59
References
64
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2024: 7 · 2021: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 4
FWCI
1.68
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.cambridge.org/core/terms (unspecified, 1445 d)
Locations
  • Public Health Nutrition (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Carolina Digital Repository (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) (submittedVersion)
  • UNC Libraries
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (R01-HD38700, and R01-HD38700, R01-HD30880)
  • Fogarty International Center (TW/HD00633)
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD030880, R01HD038700)
  • Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (R01-HD38700, R01-HD30880)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer Risks and Factors
Keywords
childhood overweight, dietary intake, high-fat diet, diet composition, body mass index, urban-rural differences, sex differences, growth patterns
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Child, Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena, China, Dietary Fats, Feeding Behavior, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Meat, Obesity, Rural Population, Socioeconomic Factors, Urban Population, Cohort Studies

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