A LONGITUDINAL ANALYSIS OF ACCELERATED WEIGHT-GAIN IN PRESCHOOL-CHILDREN

The purpose of the current investigation was to determine the dietary, physical activity, family history, and demographic predictors of rela tive weight change in a cohort of 146 children over a 3-year period. R esults indicated that boys of normal-weight parents or who had only on e parent overweight showed decreases in their body mass index (BMI) wh ile those with two parents overweight showed increases. Girls with an overweight father showed BMI increases while others experienced decrea ses in BMI. Additionally, baseline intake of kilocalories from fat as well as decreases in fat intake were related to decreases in BMI. At h igher levels of baseline aerobic activity, subsequent changes in BMI d ecreased. There was also a trend for changes in leisure activity-incre ases in children's leisure activity was associated with decreases in s ubsequent weight gain. Modifiable variables (ie, dietary intake, physi cal activity) accounted for more of the variance in changes in child B MI change than nonmodifiable variables (eg, number of parents obese). These results strongly suggest that encouragement of heart healthy die tary intake patterns and participation in physical activity can decrea se accelerated weight gain and obesity, even in preschool children.