Factors related to adiposity among children aged 3 to 7 years

Objective To compare diet and physical activity between a group of children aged 4 to 7 years who had increased their sum of 7 skinfolds by 1.5 standard deviations or more since the previous year and those who had not. Subjects/design A longitudinal design was used wherein children had their body composition assessed at 4 annual intervals. Fifteen study subjects were identified from a larger study on the development of cardiovascular risk factors in children. Three matched control subjects were identified for all but 4 study subjects. Children were included if they were 3 or 4 years old at the time of the first of 4 annual clinics to collect data. Children were volunteers from a mid-sized city. Measures Seven skinfold sites were assessed, each 3 times. An average was taken of the mean at each site. Diet and physical activity were assessed using observational methods for up to 4 days for each of 3 years between the 4 annual clinics (held in the summers of 1986, 1987, 1988, and 1989). Results Children consumed significantly (P=.02) more fat grams and suggestively higher percentages of energy from fat (P=.06), total energy (P=.08), and percentage energy from protein (P=.10). No differences were detected for percent energy from carbohydrate, physical activity, or height. Conclusions Programs to prevent childhood obesity might have success by targeting dietary fat consumption among children as young as 4 years old, but further research is needed.