Background: Several studies have reported bisphenol A (BPA) as a potential risk factor for paediatric obesity, but the findings were inconsistent among these studies.
Methods: Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2003 to 2014, we conducted a serial cross-sectional study to examine the association between urinary BPA and paediatric obesity among children aged 6 and 19 years. The association between paediatric obesity and urinary BPA concentrations with or without urinary creatinine adjustments was assessed using multivariable regression and cubic spline models fitted for regression models.
Results: We observed decreasing trends in urinary BPA concentrations from 2003 to 2014. The associations between urinary BPA concentrations and obesity were inconsistent across the years of survey and even after different models for urinary creatinine adjustments were used. Children with obesity were positively associated with urinary creatinine concentrations, but was not with creatinine-adjusted models. Furthermore, children with higher urinary BPA concentrations had elevated odds of obesity during 2003 to 2008, whereas these associations were inconsistent during 2009 to 2014.
Conclusions: The associations between paediatric obesity and urinary BPA concentrations differed across the years of survey and creatinine adjustments. Further studies are required to assess these discrepancies.
Keywords: cubic spline model; urinary bisphenol A.
© 2019 World Obesity Federation.