Objective: To examine whether there is an association between the timing of the development of obesity and children's growth.
Research methods and procedures: This study investigated 141 prepubertal obese children (76 girls) and 72 healthy non-obese children (39 girls). The target height standard deviation score (SDS), the percentage weight for height, and the height SDS (H-SDS) at presentation and at the age of 2 years were calculated. Patients were classified, according to whether obesity developed before or after the age of 3 years, as presenting with early-onset or late-onset obesity, respectively.
Results: Mean age (+/-SD) at presentation was 9.4 (2.1) years. At the age of 2 years, the H-SDS of the children with early-onset obesity was 1.3 (1.0) vs. 0.9 (1.3) for the late-onset obese (p > 0.5) and 0.4 (1.0) for controls (p < 0.001), and the children with late-onset obesity were also significantly taller than controls (p < 0.005). At presentation, children with early-onset obesity were significantly taller than children with late-onset obesity [1.1 (0.8) vs. 0.6 (1.0); p < 0.001] and controls [0.2 (0.8); p < 0.001]. There was no increase in H-SDS after the age of 2 years in the late-onset obese children (p > 0.05). H-SDS values were below average in 21% of the children with late-onset obesity and in only 4% of the children with early-onset obesity.
Discussion: These findings indicate that late development of obesity is not associated with increased stature in prepubertal children; however, it may be preceded by growth acceleration in the early years of life. Growth acceleration in early life may be a predictor for future obesity.