Publications
Below are some of the recent publications part of the project Obesity Dynamics that have already been published
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Incidence of Childhood Obesity in the United States
Solveig A. Cunningham, Ph.D., Michael R. Kramer, Ph.D., and K.M. Venkat Narayan, M.D.
Focus
This systematic review reports the national incidence of obesity among elementary-school children in the United States.
Findings
Incident obesity between the ages of 5 and 14 years was more likely to have occurred at younger ages, primarily among children who had entered kindergarten overweight. The annual incidence of obesity decreased from 5.4% during kindergarten to 1.7% between fifth and eighth grade.
It’s important to focus obesity-prevention efforts on children younger or around the age of 5, in order to target obesity in later childhood and adolescence.
Supported by a grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Entrenched obesity in childhood: findings from a national cohort study
Solveig A. Cunningham, Ph.D., Ashlesha Datar, PhD., K.M. Venkat Narayan, M.D and K.M. Michael R. Kramer, Ph.D.
Focus
This study examines whether or to obesity in childhood is a passing phenomenon or if it remains entrenched into adolescence.
Findings
About 63% of children who experience obesity between ages 5.6 and 9.1 and 72% of those who had obesity at kindergarten entry experience trenched obesity.
Obesity prevention should focus on early childhood as obesity in childhood it’s not a passing phenomenon as it might indicate potential risks for long-term obesity.
Supported by a grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Protecting children’s health in a calorie-surplus context: Household structure and child growth in the United States
Solveig A. Cunningham, Ph.D., Eeshwar K. Chandrasekar, Kate Cartwright, Kathryn M. Yount
Focus
This study focuses on the affect of household structure in child health in the U.S, specifically focusing on co-residence and relatedness of parents, grandparents and other relatives.
Findings
The household structure could be associated with a children’s wellbeing. Children whose parents are married or live with them tend to have better outcomes, as we see greater investment in resources like food, vaccination, and school expenses. Often, children living in poorer families are more likely to develop obesity.
All of this raises questions about household investment strategies needed in a world of caloric abundance.
Supported by a grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Pathways to Educational Disparities in Disability Incidence: The Contributions of Excess Body Mass Index, Smoking, and Manual Labor Involvement
Tarlise Townsend, PhD., Neil K Mehta, PhD.
Focus
The study assesses and estimates the proportion of population-level education disparities in disability incidence as a result of excess body mass index (BMI), smoking and manual labour.
Findings
Educational disparities in disability incidence were found in women and men at younger and older ages, however were largest among older women. The main contributors to disparities were found to be excess BMI and smoking in younger women, manual labour and smoking in younger men, excess BMI in older women and smoking in older men.
Interventions should aim at reducing disparities in disability and broad-based policies need to be put into place to improve access to quality education.
Supported by a National Institute on Aging center grant to the Population Studies Center at the University of Michigan
Contributions of obesity and cigarette smoking to incident disability: A longitudinal analysis
Tarlise Townsend, PhD., Neil K Mehta, PhD.
Focus
This study estimated U.S disability incidence and quantified the contributions of obesity and cigarette smoking to disability incidence.
Findings
It was found that obesity and cigarette smoking together accounted for 17-38% of disability incidence in the U.S. and each of them contributed equally. Obesity and smoking are key contributors to disability incidence. Our results suggest that a high BMI early in life may contribute to disability risk as obesity is associated with disabling conditions including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, arthritis. Similarly, smoking influences disability as it contributes to the risk of respiratory illness, vascular disease annd other conditions.
Effective intervention should address risk factors, targeting upstream social determinants of health. This is needed both in health policies and clinical arenas.
Supported by a National Institute on Aging center grant to the Population Studies Center at the University of Michigan
Early Childhood Disadvantage for Sons of Mexican
Immigrants: Body Mass Index Across Ages 2–5
Elizabeth Lawrence, MA., Stefanie Mollborn, PhD., Fernando Riosmena, PhD.
Focus
This study shows early childhood disadvantage for sons of Mexican immigrants and why these ethnic disparities emerge.
Findings
Young sons of Mexican immigrants have a higher BMI than white children. This difference emerges close to the start of kindergarten. Indeed, childhood is a critical period for the exacerbation of health disadvantages for Mexican-heritage sons of foreign mothers. Children from Mexican immigrant families are less likely to receive centre-based care, this could potentially explain the different experienced across ethic groups at this age.
Given this, interventions should target this population prior to their increased risk at age 4.5 years.
Supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation
Association of genetic and behavioral characteristics with the onset of diabetes
Carmen D. Ng and Jordan Weiss
Focus
Examine the effects of genetic risk of diabetes and later-life behavioral and life- style characteristics associated with diabetes.
Findings
Regardless of race, genetics were associated with dia- betes onset. Behavioral or lifestyle characteristics still play a role as they might delay or prevent diabetes onset, and lifestyle interventions have indeed been useful in prevention of type II diabetes.
The effects of genetic and lifestyle characteristics should be taken into consideration for both future studies and diabetes management.
Supported by a grant from the National Institute of Health’s (NIH)‘s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
In, out, and fluctuating: obesity from adolescence to adulthood
Carmen D. Ng, PhD, Solveig A. Cunningham, PhD
Focus
Understand the body mass index (BMI) trajectories in and out of obesity from adolescence to adulthood.
Findings
More than 50% of adolescents with normal BMI moved to overweight/obesity by adulthood; only 8% of overweight and 2% of obese adolescents achieved normal BMI in adulthood. While some socio- demographic characteristics such as sex, race/ethnicity, place of residence, and parents’ education were associated with being in certain BMI trajectories among adolescents with normal BMI, they were not so associated among adolescents starting at obesity.
Supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health
Impact of Weight Status on the Cardiopulmonary Fitness Outcome of a School-Based Physical Activity Program
Rena C. Moon, MD, MPH, Solveig A. Cunninngham, PhD, Julie Gazmararian, PhD, MPH
Focus
Evaluated whether overweight and obese children had similar changes in body mass index (BMI) and cardiopulmonary fitness (CPF) as normal weight children after participating in a program for one academic year.
Findings
We found that participation in the program was not associated with changes in BMI or cardiopulmonary fitness, regardless of children’s initial weight category. Children with poorer cardiopulmonary fitness level at baseline showed greater improvement in cardiopulmonary fitness than children with better cardiopulmonary fitness level at baseline. The results highlight how overweight and obese children face additional challenges.
Implementing routine measurements of cardiopulmonary function and tailoring physical activity programs to improve these measurements may be necessary in schools.
Supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health