By Suzanne Rostler

NEW YORK, Dec 07 (Reuters Health) - A child's weight at birth is widely believed to be tied to the risk of obesity in adulthood. But according to a report, the mother's weight and the child's rate of growth in the first 7 years of life may be more important clues to the risk of adult obesity.

The study found that children who were closest to their adult height by the age of 7 years were more likely than their smaller peers to be obese at age 33. Boys who grew rapidly in childhood, particularly those who were smaller at birth, were especially likely to become obese as adults, researchers report.

Their study, which is published in the December 8th issue of the British Medical Journal, also found that a child's birth weight was only weakly associated with the risk of adult obesity after taking into account the mother's weight. Heavier mothers, for instance, tend to have larger babies who grow up to be heavier adults. A father's weight had no affect on his child's later risk of obesity.

The findings suggest that programs aimed at lowering rates of adult obesity focus on women of childbearing age and young children, lead author Dr. Tessa J. Parsons from the Institute of Child Health in London, UK, told Reuters Health.

"Early childhood may be an important period for intervention, particularly in males of low birth weight," Parsons said in an interview. She cautioned, however, that any intervention to slow the rate of weight gain should not disrupt normal growth.

The study findings are based on medical information from more than 10,000 individuals who were born in England, Scotland or Wales during one week in 1958. Researchers conducted examinations at ages 7, 11, 16, 23 and 33.

In adulthood, a person's body mass index (BMI) was found to increase with higher birth weights only among those who weighed the most at birth. However, when the mother's weight was taken into account, the association between birth weight and adult BMI was much weaker.

In an interview, Parsons said that further research should investigate how factors thought to affect prenatal growth, such as the mother's diet and smoking habits, relate to later obesity risk. Additionally, studies that evaluate obesity prevention strategies in children are needed, she said.

Dr. Catherine Law from the University of Southampton in the UK also notes the need for anti-obesity strategies aimed at children.

"Instead of concentrating research efforts on developing drug treatments for established adult obesity, perhaps we should use what we know already to design and evaluate social, behavioural, or policy interventions aimed at children," Law writes in an accompanying editorial.

SOURCE: British Medical Journal 2001;323:1320-1321, 1331-1335.

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