natashal.burke

Title of QTUG presentation:

Early Pubertal Development as a Risk Factor for Overweight

List of Author and co-authors for QTUG presentation:

Natasha L. Burke, Spring Dawson-McClure, Laurie Miller Brotman

Abstract:

In the US, 34% of children ages 2-19 are overweight. Rates of overweight are disproportionately higher among African-American and Latino children. Early pubertal development is associated with significant weight gain and may be an important marker of risk for overweight in ethnic minority children. This study will examine pubertal development as a risk factor for overweight separately by gender in a sample of ethnic minority children. Participants were 51 children aged 8-12 years (M=10.74) who were part of a follow-up study of a family-based intervention designed to prevent conduct problems. Three measurements of overweight were obtained: body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and triceps skinfold thickness (TS). Blood pressure (BP) was also measured. A BMI >95% and WS and TS measurements >90% are considered overweight. 32% of the sample was overweight according to BMI, 27% according to WC, and 13% according to TS. 58% of the sample was female; there were no significant gender differences in the rates of overweight. 20% of overweight children (as measured by BMI) had high BP. Additional analyses will be conducted to examine the association between these measures of overweight and the Pubertal Development Scale which assesses pubertal development by pre-adolescent and parent report.