Original articleBody Mass Index and Waist-to-Height Changes During Teen Years in Girls Are Influenced by Childhood Body Mass Index
Section snippets
Methods
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study (NGHS) was a 10-year cohort study that recruited a socio-economically diverse group of girls aged 9 and 10 years at entry. Participants were recruited from public and parochial schools in metropolitan Cincinnati, Ohio; the Richmond, California Unified School District; and a random sample of participants from a health maintenance organization in Washington, DC [10]. Eligibility was restricted to girls (and parents) who
Results
There were 610 white and 531 black participants included in the analysis; cohort retention was 89.4% at year 10 of the study. Among white participants, the lowest quintile of BMI at age 9 was less than 14.2, and the highest quintile was greater than 22.4. Early menarche was defined as less than 11.73 years of age, and late menarche as greater than 13.58 years. Among black participants, the lowest quintile of BMI at age 9 was less than 14.6, and the highest quintile was greater than 24.8. Early
Discussion
This study has provided longitudinal comparisons between elevated BMI and waist-to-height ratio. Although the girls experienced a greater increase in fat mass than fat-free mass, regardless of BMI, the data indicate that the changes in BMI and its components during the teen years in girls are dependent upon childhood BMI levels. Greater levels of BMI during childhood led to greater than expected changes in BMI, and those changes in BMI were driven by disproportionate increases in fat mass,
Acknowledgments
This work was supported in part through Puberty and Cancer Initiation: Environment, Diet, and Obesity, grant U01-ES12770/subaward P021-040-L529-1095; and through contracts HC55023-26 and cooperative agreements U01-HL-48941-44 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and Taft Research Grant at the University of Cincinnati. The authors acknowledge clerical assistance from Lynn Hanrahan, and the time and effort of the staff and families of the NHLBI Growth and Health Study.
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