O040 - EARLY LIFE DETERMINANTS OF BODY COMPOSITION IN HEALTHY TERM-BORN CHILDREN AT AGE 5 YEARS

O040

EARLY LIFE DETERMINANTS OF BODY COMPOSITION IN HEALTHY TERM-BORN CHILDREN AT AGE 5 YEARS

A. le Clercq^1,*, I. van Beijsterveldt¹, D. Dorrepaal¹, A. Hokken-Koelega^1,2

¹Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus University Medical Center - Sophia Children’s Hospital, ²Dutch Growth Research Foundation, Rotterdam, Netherlands

Rationale: As childhood overweight and obesity are a global health threat, there is a need to understand how body composition evolves from infancy to childhood. The aim of this study was to investigate how body composition tracks from infancy to childhood and to identify which early life determinants are associated with body composition trajectories.

Methods: We included 328 children of the Sophia Pluto study, a Dutch cohort study. Body composition was measured at 1, 3 and 6 months by air displacement plethysmography (PEA POD) and at 5 years by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Age- and sex-adjusted Standard Deviation Scores (SDS) were calculated for Fat Mass Index (FMI) and Fat Free Mass Index (FFMI) and group tertiles were determined for these variables at all ages. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (OR) for remaining in the highest tertile. Multiple regression analysis was used to analyze if perinatal, maternal, childhood or nutritional factors were associated with FMI SDS at 5 years.

Results: High FMI SDS tracked from 1, 3 and 6 months to 5 years (OR=1.67 [p=0.036], OR=2.55 [p<0.001] and OR=3.29 [p<0.001], respectively). High FFMI SDS also tracked from 1, 3 and 6 months to 5 years (OR=2.36 [p<0.001], OR=2.20 [p=0.001] and OR=2.45 [p<0.001], respectively). In multiple regression analysis, change in weight-for-length SDS in the first 6 months of life (β=0.443), birth weight SDS (β=0.317) and high maternal education (β=-0.121) were significantly associated with FMI SDS at 5 years. There was no association with exclusive breastfeeding during the first 3 months.

Conclusion: Infants with a high FMI or FFMI SDS in the first 6 months of life are likely to remain in the highest tertile up to 5 years. These data further support the presence of a critical window of adiposity and FFM programming in early infancy, providing opportunities for prevention and intervention strategies.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared