The Journal of Pediatrics
Volume 157, Issue 1 , Pages 15-19 , July 2010

Infant Obesity: Are We Ready to Make this Diagnosis?

  • David P. McCormick, MD

      Affiliations

    • Division of General Academic Pediatrics, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, Texas
    • Corresponding Author InformationReprint requests: David P. McCormick, MD, Department of Pediatrics, Primary Care Pavilion, Suite 2.701, 301 University Blvd, Galveston, TX 77555-1119.
    • ,
  • Kwabena Sarpong, MD

      Affiliations

    • Division of General Academic Pediatrics, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, Texas
    • ,
  • Lindsay Jordan, BS

      Affiliations

    • University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, Texas
    • ,
  • Laura A. Ray, MPA

      Affiliations

    • Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, Texas
    • ,
  • Sunil Jain, MD

      Affiliations

    • Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, Texas

Received 30 June 2009 ,Revised 2 December 2009 ,Accepted 15 January 2010.

References 

  1. Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Curtin LR, McDowell MA, Tabak CJ, Flegal KM. Prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States. JAMA. 2006;295:1549–1555
  2. Guyer B, Grason H, Frick KD, Perry DF, Sharkey A, McIntosh J. Early childhood health promotion and its life course health consequences. Acad Pediatr. 2009;9:142–149
  3. Asher P. Fat babies and fat children. The prognosis of obesity in the very young. Arch Dis Child. 1966;41:672–673
  4. Eid EE. Follow-up study of physical growth of children who had excessive weight gain in first six months of life. BMJ. 1970;2:74–76
  5. Mellbin T, Vuille J-C. Physical development at 7 years of age in relation to velocity of weight gain infancy with special reference to incidence of overweight. Brit J Prev Soc Med. 1973;27:225–235
  6. Wilkinson PW, Parkin JM, Pearlson J, Philips PR, Sykes P. Obesity in childhood: a community study in Newcastle upon Tyne. Lancet. 1977;1:350–352
  7. Rolland-Cachera MF, Deheeger M, Guilloud-Bataille M. Tracking the development of adiposity from one month of age to adulthood. Ann Hum Biol. 1987;14:219–229
  8. Whitaker RC, Orzol SM. Obesity among US urban preschool children: relationships to race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2006;160:578–584
  9. Stettler N, Kumanyika SK, Katz SH, Zemel BS, Stallings VA. Rapid weight gain during infancy and obesity in young adulthood in a cohort of American Americans. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003;77:1374–1378
  10. Mei Z, Grummer-Strawn LM, Scanlon KS. Does overweight in infancy persist through the preschool years? An analysis of CDC Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System data. Soz Praventivmed. 2003;48:161–167
  11. Ericksson J, Forsen T, Osmond C, Barker D. Obesity from cradle to grave. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2003;27:722–727
  12. Toschke AM, Grote V, Koletzko B, von Kries R. Identifying children at high risk for overweight at school entry by weight gain during the first 2 years. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2004;158:449–452
  13. Baird J, Fisher D, Lucas P, Kleijnen J, Roberts H, Law C. Being big or growing fast: systematic review of size and growth in infancy and later obesity. BMJ. 2005;331:929–14
  14. Reilly JJ, Armstrong J, Dorosty AR, et al. Early life risk factors for obesity in childhood: cohort study. BMJ. 2005;330:1357
  15. Salisberry PJ, Reagan PB. Dynamics of early childhood overweight. Pediatrics. 2005;116:1329–1338
  16. Nader PR, O'Brien M, Houts R, et al. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Early Child Care Research Network. Identifying risk for obesity in early childhood. Pediatrics. 2006;118:e594–e601
  17. Huus K, Ludvigsson JF, Enskar K, Ludvigsson J. Risk factors in childhood obesity—Findings from the All Babies In Southeast Sweden (ABIS) cohort. Acta Paediatrica. 2007;96:1321–1325
  18. McCarthy A, Hughes R, Tilling K, Davies D, Smith GD, Ben-Shlomo Y. Birth weight; postnatal, infant and childhood growth; and obesity in young adulthood: evidence from the Barry Caerphilly Growth Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007;86:907–913
  19. Ekelund U, Ong KK, Linne Y, Neovius M, Brage S, Dunger DB, et al. Association of weight gain in infancy and early childhood with metabolic risk in young adults. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007;92:98–103
  20. Botton J, Heude B, Maccario J, Ducimetiere P, Ma C. FLVS Study Group. Postnatal weight and height growth velocities at different ages between birth and 5 y and body composition in adolescent boys and girls. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008;87:1760–1768
  21. Ong KK, Emmett PM, Noble S, Ness A, Dunger DB. ALSPAC Study Team. Dietary intake at the age of 4 months predicts postnatal weight gain and childhood body mass index. Pediatrics. 2006;117:e503–e508
  22. Ong KK, Loos RJ. Rapid infancy weight gain and subsequent obesity: systematic reviews and hopeful suggestions. Acta Pediatr. 2006;95:909–917
  23. Ashcroft J, Semmler C, Carnell S, van Jaarsveld CH, Wardle J. Continuity and stability of eating behaviour traits in children. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2008;62:985–990
  24. Barlow SE, Dietz WH. Obesity evaluation and treatment: expert committee recommendations. Pediatrics. 1998;102:e29
  25. Tavaras EM, Rifas-Shiman SI, Belfort MB, Kleinman KP, Oken E, Gillman MW. Weight status in the first 6 months of life and obesity at 3 years of age. Pediatrics. 2009;123:1177–1183
  26. Ogden CL. Prevalence of overweight infants and children less than 2 years of age: United States, 2003-2004. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hestats/overweight/overwght_child_under02.htm. 2008 [cited Oct 14, 2009].
  27. Margellos-Anast H, Shah AM, Whitman S. Prevalence of obesity among children in six Chicago communities: findings from a health survey. Public Health Rep. 2008;123:117–125
  28. Koletzko B, von Kries R, Escribano J, Scaglioni S, Giovannini M, Beyer J, et al. Can infant feeding choices modulate later obesity risk?. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009;89:1502S–1508S
  29. Cook S, Weitzman M, Auinger P, Barlow SE. Screening and counseling associated with obesity diagnosis in a national survey of ambulatory pediatric visits. Pediatrics. 2005;116:112–116
  30. Ogden CL, Flegal KM, Carroll MD, Johnson CL. Prevalence and trends in overweight among US children and adolescents, 1999-2000. JAMA. 2002;288:1728–1732
  31. Benson L, Baer HJ, Kaelber DC. Trends in the diagnosis of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents: 1999-2007. Pediatrics. 2009;123:e153–e158
  32. O'Brien SH, Holubkov R, Reis E. Identification, evaluation, and management of obesity in an academic primary care center. Pediatrics. 2004;114:154–159
  33. Stange KC, Zyzanski SJ, Smith TF, Kelly R, Langa DM, Flocke SA, et al. How valid are medical records and patient questionnaires for physician profiling and health services research? A comparison with direct observation of patients visits. Med Care. 1998;36:851–867
  34. Goodell SL, Pierce MB, Bravo CM, Ferris AM. Parental perception of overweight during early childhood. Qual Health Res. 2008;18:1548–1555
  35. Shibli R. Rubin l, Akons H, Shaoul R. Morbidity of overweight (> or = 85th percentile) in the first two years of life. Pediatrics. 2008;122:267–272
  36. Olson CM, Strawdermann MS, Dennison BA. Maternal weight gain during pregnancy and child weight at age 3 years. Matern Child Health J. 2009;13:839–846
  37. Panagiotakos DB, Papadimitriou A, Anthracopoulos MB, Konstantinidou M, Antonogeorgos G, Fretzayas A, et al. Birthweight, breast-feeding, parental weight and prevalence of obesity in schoolchildren aged 10-12 years, in Greece; the Physical Activity, Nutrition and Allergies in Children Examined in Athens (PANACEA) study. Pediatr Int. 2008;50:563–568
  38. Hirschler V, Bugna J, Roque M, Gilligan T, Conzalez C. Does low birth weight predict obesity/overweight and metabolic syndrome in elementary school children?. Arch Med Res. 2008;39:796–802
  39. Oken E, Rifas-Shiman SL, Field AE, Frazier AL, Gillman MW. Maternal gestational weight gain and offspring weight in adolescence. Obstet Gynecol. 2008;112:999–1006
  40. Simmons R. Perinatal programming of obesity. Semin Perinatol. 2008;32:371–374
  41. Keppel KG, Taffel SM. Pregnancy-related weight gain and retention: implication of the 1990 Institute of Medicine guidelines. Am J Public Health. 1993;83:1100–1103
  42. Siega-Riz AM, Laraia B. The implications of maternal overweight and obesity on the course of pregnancy and birth outcomes. Matern Child Health J. 2006;10:S153–S156
  43. Olsen CM, Strawderman MS, Reed RG. Efficacy of an intervention to prevent excessive gestational weight gain. Am J Obstet Gyn. 2004;191:530–536
  44. Polley BA, Wing RR, Sims CJ. Randomized controlled trial to prevent excessive weight gain in pregnant women. Int J Obes. 2002;26:1494–1502
  45. Perrin EM, Flower KB, Garrett J, Ammerman AS. Preventing and treating obesity: pediatrician's self-efficacy, barriers, resources, and advocacy. Ambul Pediatr. 2005;5:150–156
  46. Jelalian E, Boergers J, Alday CS, Frank R. Survey of physician attitudes and practices related to pediatric obesity. Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2003;42:235–245
  47. Story MT, Neumark-Stzainer DR, Sherwood NE, Holt K, Sofka D, Trowbridge FL, et al. Management of child and adolescent obesity: attitudes, barriers, skills, and training needs among health care professionals. Pediatrics. 2002;110(Pt 2):210–214

 Conducted with assistance from the General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) at UTMB, Galveston TX. The GCRC is funded by the National Center for Research Resources, National Institutes of Health (NIH), US Public Health Service grant M01 RR 00073, and Clinical Research Education Program UTMB, which is supported by an NIH Clinical Research Curriculum Award K 30 RR 022276. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

PII: S0022-3476(10)00043-0

doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2010.01.028

The Journal of Pediatrics
Volume 157, Issue 1 , Pages 15-19 , July 2010

Article Tools