Newborn adiposity by body mass index predicts childhood overweight.

Objective: To evaluate the association between adiposity at birth and in infancy with overweight at age 5 years. This study hypothesizes that adiposity at birth as approximated by body mass index (BMI) predicts childhood fatness.

Methods: Anthropomorphic data from birth to 5 years were used to calculate BMI percentiles. Multiple logistic regression assessed the association between BMI percentile > or =85% at 2 weeks and BMI percentile > or =85% at 6, 12, 36, and 60 months.

Results: Elevated BMI at age 2 weeks > or =85th percentile was associated with significant increases in risk of overweight at 6, 12, 36, and 60 months of age. Infants with a BMI at age 2 weeks > or =85th percentile had an adjusted odds ratio of 3.42 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.79, 6.50) and an adjusted risk ratio of 2.12 (95% CI = 1.71, 2.61) of being overweight at 60 months of age.

Conclusions: Adiposity at birth as approximated by BMI is a significant predictor of overweight at 5 years.