RESILIENCE IN THE FACE OF RISK: FACTORS THAT PROTECT AGAINST CHILDHOOD OBESITY WHEN RISKY INFANT GROWTH OCCURS
Open Access
- Author:
- Gungor, Darcy
- Graduate Program:
- Nutrition
- Degree:
- Master of Science
- Document Type:
- Master Thesis
- Date of Defense:
- May 18, 2009
- Committee Members:
- Cynthia Bartok, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Cynthia Bartok, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor - Keywords:
- growth
child
overweight
infant - Abstract:
- Objectives: To: a) conduct a systematic analysis of infant growth intervals in order to determine which interval best discriminated between overweight and non-overweight children, and what amount of infant growth during that interval was the best predictor of subsequent childhood overweight; and b) identify factors during infancy that might confer protective effects against the development of childhood overweight when risky infant growth occurs. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Central Pennsylvania. Participants: Central Pennsylvanian children (n = 192) aged 6 to 8 years who were born in the year 2000 or later. Outcome Measures: Childhood overweight at 6 to 8 years was defined as a sex- and age-specific body mass index at or above the 85th percentile according to the 2000 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention distribution. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis determined the amount of infant weight gain best predicting childhood overweight. Infants gaining at least this amount of weight were considered at risk, and at risk infants who did not become overweight children were considered resilient. Differences in demographic characteristics, growth patterns, and feeding behaviors between at risk/overweight and at risk/resilient subjects were assessed. Results: In our sample, 26.3% of children were overweight at age 6 to 8 years. At risk infants gained at least 8.57 kg from 0 to 24 months. While 39% of at risk infants became overweight children, 61% were resilient. At risk/resilient subjects were more likely to be exclusively breastfed for at least 6 months and had a later introduction of solid foods than at risk/overweight subjects. Conclusions: Feeding behaviors may provide resilience in the face of risk and protect individuals whose infant weight gain increases their likelihood for developing childhood overweight.