Association of maternal prepregnancy weight and early childhood weight with obesity in adolescence: A population‐based longitudinal cohort study in Japan

BACKGROUND: The impact of birth weight and obesity in early childhood on obesity in adolescence remains unclear. OBJECTIVES: To examine the association of overweight/obesity at age 15 years with birth weight, overweight/obesity in early childhood and overweight/obesity in mothers. METHODS: This population-based retrospective cohort study used early childhood and school age health check-up data of 1581 children in Japan, followed-up until age 15 years. Generalized estimation equation analyses were used to investigate the association of overweight/obesity at age 15 years with low/high birth weight, overweight/obesity in 3 years of age and overweight/obesity in mothers. The cutoff points for all variables were defined by international criteria. RESULTS: Of 1581 mother-child pairs, 130 (8.2%) children had low birth weight, while 93 (5.9%) and 167 (10.6%) were overweight/obese at age 3 and 15 years, respectively. Overweight/obesity at age 3 years and overweight/obesity in mothers were associated with overweight/obesity at age 15 years (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 4.26; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.51-7.25 and (aOR, 2.46; 95% CI: 1.41-4.30). No association between low birth weight and overweight/obesity at age 15 years was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Overweight/obesity in mothers and overweight/obesity at 3 years of age, but not birth weight, were associated with overweight/obesity at age 15 years.