|
Teenage
Weight Predicts Future Weight Tue
Dec 9,11:48 PM ET TUESDAY,
Dec. 9 (HealthDayNews) -- A person's body mass index (BMI) as an adult may be
influenced by their BMI during adolescence and the changes in physical activity
between adolescence and adulthood, claims a Norwegian study in the December
issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. The
study included 485 people (average age of 15 at the start of the study in 1979)
who were tracked for 18 to 20 years. Their height, weight, physical fitness,
leisure time physical activity (LTPA), smoking and education were assessed at
the start of the study and at follow-up. The
height, weight and education of their parents were also recorded at the start of
the study. "The
main findings of this study were that BMI tracks significantly from adolescence
into adulthood and that the subjects own BMI during adolescence, father's BMI,
and LTPA and smoking in adulthood were strong predictors of adult BMI," the
study authors say in a prepared statement. "Smoking
cessation between adolescence and adulthood increased the risk of being
overweight as adults, while an increase in LTPA and a high educational level
among parents and participants reduced the risk of being overweight as
adults," they add. "The
results from this study provide strong rationale for obesity prevention at a
young age. Such efforts should include the parents, and promotion of physical
activity appears to be a critical component of such prevention efforts,"
the authors write. |