The relationship between birth weight, adiposity rebound and overweight at the age of 17 years (results of the Lithuanian longitudinal growth study, 1990 - 2008).

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between overweight and obesity at the age of 17 years with a birth weight and time of an adiposity rebound. The results were based on data (N = 1535) collected from the personal health records of children born in 1990 in Vilnius city and region. The further growth of newborns with normal (3000 - 3999 g), suboptimal (2500 - 2999 g) and large (≥ 4000 g) birth weight was analyzed. Statistically significant results (p < 0.05) were obtained in girls: at the age of 17, the BMI of suboptimal, normal and large birth weight females was 19.87 ± 2.23 kg/m², 20.98 ± 2.78 kg/m² and 22.20 ± 3.52 kg/m² respectively. We also found that children with large birth weight had the highest risk to become overweight or obese later in their life. Both boys and girls overweight at the age of 17 had an earlier adiposity rebound (at the age of 5 years) in comparison with non-overweight children (their adiposity rebound had happened at the age of 6 - 7 years). However, the majority of children with an early adiposity rebound did not become overweight on the subsequent age period at once - it might happen later, already at the adolescence. Thus it is very important to carefully screen the growth of preschool children and start preventive measures against the overweight and obesity as early as possible.