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Determinants of overweight tracking from childhood to adolescence: a 5 y follow-up study of Hat Yai schoolchildren

International Journal of Obesity volume 24, pages 1642–1647 (2000)Cite this article

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To study the determinants of overweight tracking from childhood to adolescence of Hat Yai schoolchildren.

DESIGN: A longitudinal study.

SETTING: Primary and secondary schools of Hat Yai municipality, southern Thailand.

SUBJECTS: 2252 schoolchildren recruited in 1992 and follow-up for 5 y.

MEASUREMENTS: Child's annual body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) from 1992 to 1997; parental BMIs, parental income, and family history of diseases by a questionnaire completed by parents in 1992.

RESULTS: Prevalence of overweight of males using the 85th percentile of the U S First National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey reference for age and sex as a cut-off point increased from 12.4% in 1992 to 21% in 1997, whereas that of females went down from 15.2 to 12.6. At the end of the fifth year, 11.8% of children remained overweight while 4.5% became overweight. Comparing to the non-overweights, the risk for becoming an overweight adolescent of an overweight boy was 8.2 (95% confidence interval (CI)=6, 11.2) whereas that of the overweight girls was 20 (95% CI=12.4, 32.3). The generalized estimating equations model predicted an increase in child BMI associated with having a father or a mother with high BMI, a family history of obesity, a monthly income greater than 5000 baht, and a lower level of exercise than their peers. Secular increase in BMI was also observed.

CONCLUSION: Predictors of overweight tracking found in this study would be useful to select children at risk for preventive intervention.

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Acknowledgements

This study was financially supported by a grant from the National Research Council of Thailand and Songklanagarind Hospital Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkhla University, Songkhla, Thailand

    L Mo-suwan & A Puetpaiboon

  2. Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Prince of Songkhla University, Songkhla, Thailand

    P Tongkumchum

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  1. L Mo-suwan
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  2. P Tongkumchum
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Correspondence to L Mo-suwan.

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Mo-suwan, L., Tongkumchum, P. & Puetpaiboon, A. Determinants of overweight tracking from childhood to adolescence: a 5 y follow-up study of Hat Yai schoolchildren. Int J Obes 24, 1642–1647 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801432

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