Tracking of General and Abdominal Obesity in Children Between 4 and 9 Years of Age: The Longitudinal Childhood Obesity Study (ELOIN)

Abstract Background A relationship between obesity early life has been reported. The aim of this study was to evaluate the variations in general (GO) and abdominal (AO) obesity between 4 and 9 years of age. Methods Children who participated in all three follow-ups at 4, 6 and 9 years participating in ELOIN study (N = 1902). Measurements of BMI and waist circumference were taken by physical examination. Prevalence ratios (PRs) were estimated by sex and family affluence by generalized estimation equation models, and the relative risks (RRs) of obesity by Poisson regression. Results The prevalence of GO was 5.1%, 9.1%, and 15.6% at 4, 6, and 9 years, yielding a PR between 9 − 4 years of 3.05 (95%CI: 2.58–3.60). The prevalence of AO was 6.8%, 8.4%, 14.5%, and the PR (9 vs 4y) was 2.14 (95%CI: 1.85–2.48). GO and AO presented an inverse correlation with family affluence. Among participants who were in GO or AO at 4 years, 77.3% and 63.6% remained in obesity after 5 years. The RRs of GO and AO at 9 years were 4.6 and 4.1 if they were obese at 4 years (p < 0.001), which increased to 9.4 and 9.5 in children obese at 6 years (p < 0.001), and those with obesity at both 4–6 years had RRs of 10.3 and 9.9 (p < 0.001). Conclusions GO and AO begin at early age, persist with age and linked with low socioeconomic status. Obesity at 9 years is associated with early obesity, either stably or intermittently, so preventive interventions should be established very early.