Familial Aggregation of Body Mass Index: A Population-Based Family Study in Eastern Finland

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the familial aggregation of body mass index (BMI) in a sample of families with young offspring from eastern Finland. 15-year-olds were examined from 1996 to 1997, and their biological parents were examined from 1993 to 1994. 224 children were invited; 184 families participated, and 144 were included in the analysis with complete data. Significant positive correlations were found for mother-offspring pairs (correlation [r] = 0.31, p < 0.001, n = 140), father-offspring (r = 0.23, p = 0.017, n = 107), mother-daughter (r = 0.26, p = 0.044, n = 63) and mother-son (r = 0.36, p = 0.001, n = 77). Adjustment for confounding variables did not alter these results. There was a higher proportion of children in the highest quartile of BMI when the mother was obese (odds ratio [OR] = 3.0, 95 % CI = 1.4 - 6.7, n = 140) and when one or both parents were obese (OR = 2.8, 95 % CI = 1.0 - 8.0 when one parent was obese; OR = 4.6, 95 % CI = 1.1 - 20.0 when both parents were obese; n = 103). The study confirmed familial BMI aggregation. The consistent obesity relationship between mother and offspring may indicate the key role of the mother in primary obesity prevention.

Key words

Children - Human Offspring - Correlation - Family - Resemblance - Obesity

References

• 1 Pietinen P, Vartiainen E, Männistö S. Trends in body mass index and obesity among adults in Finland from 1972 to 1992.  Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 1996;  20 114-120
• 2 Popkin B M, Doak C M. The obesity epidemic is a worldwide phenomenon.  Nutr Rev. 1998;  56 106-114
• 3 Pi-Sunyer F X. Health implications of obesity.  Am J Clin Nutr. 1991;  53 1595S-1603S
• 4 Kushner R F. Body weight and mortality.  Nutr Rev. 1993;  51 127-136
• 5 Solomon C G, Manson J E. Obesity and mortality: a review of the epidemiologic data.  Am J Clin Nutr. 1997;  66 1044S-1050S
• 6 Guo S S, Roche A F, Chumlea W C, Gardner J D, Siervigel R. The predictive value of childhood body mass index values for overweight at age 35 y.  Am J Clin Nutr. 1994;  59 810-819
• 7 Power C, Lake J K, Cole T J. Body mass index and height from childhood to adulthood in the 1958 British birth cohort.  Am J Clin Nutr. 1997;  66 1094-1101
• 8 Mossberg H. 40 year follow-up of overweight children. Lancet 1989: 491-493
• 9 Must A, Jacques P F, Dallal G E, Bajema C J, Dietz W H. Long-term morbidity and mortality of overweight adolescents. A follow-up of the Harvard Growth Study of 1922 to 1935.  N Engl J Med. 1992;  327 1360-1365
• 10 Gunnell D J, Frankel S J, Nanchahal K, Peters T J, Smith G D. Childhood obesity and adult cardiovascular mortality: A 57-y follow-up study based on the Boyd Orr cohort.  Am J Clin Nutr. 1998;  67 1111-1118
• 11 Chagnon Y C, Pérusse L, Bouchard C. Familial aggregation of obesity, candidate genes and quantitative trait loci.  Curr Opin Lipidol. 1997;  8 205-211
• 12 Peltonen L, Palotie A, Lange K. Use of population isolates for mapping complex traits.  Nat Rev Genet. 2000;  1 182-190
• 13 MONICA manual. http//www.ktl.fi/publications/monica/manual. 
• 14 Fogelholm M, Männistö S, Vartiainen E, Pietinen P. Determinants of energy balance and overweight in Finland 1982 - 1992.  Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 1996;  20 1097-1104
• 15 Nuutinen E M, Turtinen J, Pokka T, Kuusela V, Dahlstöm S, Viikari J, Uhari M, Dahl M, Kaprio E A, Pesonen E, Pietikäinen M, Salo M K, Åkerblom H K. Obesity in children, adolescents and young adults.  Annals of Medicine. 1991;  23 41-46
• 16 Khoury P, Morrison J A, Laskarzewski M P, Gluek C. Parent-offspring and sibling body mass index associations during and after sharing of common household environments: The Princeton School District Family Study.  Metabolism. 1983;  32 82-89
• 17 Bouchard C, Pérusse L, Leblanc C, Tremblay A, Thériault G. Inheritance of the amount and distribution of human body fat.  Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 1988;  12 205-215
• 18 Tienboon P, Rutishauser I HE, Wahlqvist M L. A family study of coronary risk factors in Geelong.  Aust J Public Health. 1992;  16 20-25
• 19 Ramirez M E. Familial aggregation of subcutaneous fat deposits and the peripheral fat distribution pattern.  Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 1993;  17 63-68
• 20 Inoue K, Sawada T, Suge H, Nao Y, Igarashi M. Spouse concordance of obesity, blood pressures and serum risk factors for atherosclerosis.  J Hum Hypertens. 1996;  10 455-459
• 21 Longini I M, Higgins M W, Hinton P C, Moll P P, Keller J B. Genetic and environmental sources of familial aggregation of body mass in Tecumseh, Michigan.  Hum Biol. 1984;  56 733-757
• 22 Donahue R P, Prineas R J, Gomez O, Hong C-P. Familial resemblance of body fat distribution: The Minneapolis Children’s Blood Pressure Study.  Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 1992;  16 161-167
• 23 Rabbia F, Veglio F, Pinna G, Oliva S, Surgo V, Rolando B, Bessone A, Melchio R, Chiandussi L. Cardiovascular risk factors in adolescence: Prevalence and familial aggregation.  Prev Med. 1994;  23 809-815
• 24 Whitaker R C, Wright J A, Pepe M S, Seidel K D, Dietz W H. Predicting obesity in young adulthood from childhood and parental obesity.  N Engl J Med. 1997;  337 869-873
• 25 Price R A, Ness R, Laskarzewski P. Common major inheritance of extreme overweight.  Hum Biol. 1990;  62 747-765
• 26 Tambs K, Moum T, Eaves L, Neale M, Midthjell K, Lund-Larsen P G, Naes S, Holmen J. Genetic and environmental contribution to the variance of the body mass index in a Norwegian sample of first-and second-degree relatives.  Am J Hum Biol. 1991;  3 257-267
• 27 Annest J L, Sing C F, Biron P, Mongeau J. Familial aggregation of blood pressure and weight in adoptive families. III. Analysis of the role of shared genes and shared household environment in explaining family resemblance for height, weight and selected weight/height indices.  Am J Epidemiol. 1983;  117 492-506
• 28 Staessen J, Bulpitt C J, Fagard R, Joossens J V, Lijnen P, Amery A. Familial aggregation of blood pressure, anthropometric characteristics and urinary excretion of sodium and potasium - a population study in two Belgian towns.  J Chron Dis. 1985;  38 397-407
• 29 Friedlander Y, Kark J D, Kaufmann N A, Berry E M, Stein Y. Familial aggregation of body mass index in ethnically diverse families in Jerusalem. The Jerusalem Lipid Research Clinic.  Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 1988;  12 237-247
• 30 Khoury M J, Beaty T H, Cohen B H. Fundamentals of genetic epidemiology. Oxford University Press/New York 1993: 48
• 31 Hocher B, Slowinski T, Stolze T, Pleschka A, Neumayer H-H, Halle H. Association of maternal G protein β3 subunit 825T allele with low birthweight.  Lancet. 2000;  355 1241-1242
• 32 Moore M L, Michieleutte R, Meis P J, Renest J M, Wells B, Buescher P A. Etiology of low-birthweight birth: A population-based study.  Prev Med. 1994;  23 793-799
• 33 Whitaker R C, Dietz W H. Role of the prenatal environment in the development of obesity.  J Pediatr. 1998;  132 768-776
• 34 Curhan G C, Willet W C, Rimm E B, Spiegelman D, Ascheiro A, Stampfer M J. Birth weight and adult hypertension, diabetes mellitus and obesity in US men.  Circulation. 1996;  94 3246-3250
• 35 Curhan G C, Chertow G M, Willet W C, Speingelman D, Colditz G A, Manson J E, Speizer F E, Stampfer M J. Birth weight and adult hypertension and obesity in women.  Circulation. 1996;  94 1310-1315
• 36 Seidman D S, Laor A, Gale R, Stevenson D K, Danon Y L. A longitudinal study of birth weight and being overweight in late adolescence.  Am J Dis Child. 1991;  145 782-785
• 37 Sørensen H T, Sabroe S, Rothman K T, Gillman M, Fischer P, Sørensen I A. Ralation between weight and length at birth and body mass index in young adulthood: Cohort study.  BMJ. 1997;  315 1137
• 38 Rasmussen F, Johansson M. The relation of weight, length and ponderal index at birth to body mass index and overweight among 18-year-old males in Sweden.  Eur J Epidemiol. 1998;  14 373-380
• 39 Law C M, Barker D JP, Osmond C, Fall C HD, Simmonds S. Early growth and abdominal fatness in adult life.  J Epidemiol Community Health. 1992;  46 184-186
• 40 Barker M, Robinson S, Osmond C, Barker D J. Birth weight and body fat distribution in adolescent girls.  Arch Dis Child. 1997;  77 381-383
• 41 Elliot K G, Kjolhede C L, Gournis E, Rasmussen K M. Duration of breastfeeding associated with obesity during adolescence.  Obes Res. 1997;  5 538-541
• 42 Laskarzewski P, Morrison J A, Khoury P, Kelly K K, Glatfelter L, Larsen R, Glueck C. Parent-child nutrient intake interrelationships in school children ages 6 to 19: The Princeton School District Study.  Am J Clin Nutr. 1980;  33 2350-2355
• 43 Pérusse L, Tremblay A, Leblanc C, Cloninger C R, Reich T, Rice J, Bouchard C. Familial resemblance in energy intake: contribution of genetic and environmental factors.  Am J Clin Nutr. 1988;  47 629-35
• 44 Oliveira S A, Curtis Ellison R, Moore L, Gillman M W, Garrahie E J, Singer M R. Parent-child relationships in nutrient intake: The Framingham Children’s Study.  Am J Clin Nutr. 1992;  56 593-598
• 45 Vauthier J-M, Lluch A, Lecomte E, Artur Y, Herbeth B. Family resemblance in energy and macronutrient intakes: The Stanislas Family Study.  Int J Epidemiol. 1996;  25 1030-1037
• 46 Feunekes G IJ, Stafleu A, de Graaf C, van Staveren W A. Family resemblance in fat intake in the Netherlands.  Eu J Clin Nutr. 1997;  51 793-799.
• 47 Sallis J F, Patterson T L, Buono M J, Atkins C J, Nader P R. Aggregation of physical activity habits in Mexican-American and Anglo Families.  J Behav Med. 1988;  11 31-41
• 48 Moore L L, Lombardi D A, White M J, Campbell J L, Oliveira S A, Ellison R C. Influence of parent’s physical activity levels in activity levels of young children.  J Pediatr. 1991;  118 215-219
• 49 Freedson P S, Evenson S. Familial aggregation in physical activity.  Res Q Exerc Sport. 1991;  62 384-389