BACKGROUND: Earlier studies on seasonality in growth reported the largest height gains during spring and largest body weight gains during autumn. We examined seasonality in height, body weight, BMI, fat mass index (FMI), and fat-free mass index (FFMI) among contemporary Danish 8-11-y olds. METHODS: A total of 760 children from the OPUS School Meal Study provided >2,200 measurements on height, body weight, and composition between September and June. Average velocities were calculated using change-score analyses based on 3-mo intervals. As a complementary analysis, point velocities derived from estimated growth curves were fitted using semiparametric regression that included covariate adjustment and allowed flexible modeling of the time trend. RESULTS: Average velocities showed the following trends: height was higher than the average (6.10 cm/y) in January-April. Body weight was below the average (4.02 kg/y) in August-January and above in January-May; BMI (average: 0.49 kg/ m(2)/y) and FFMI (average: 0.17 kg/m(2)/y) showed similar trends. In contrast, FMI was above the average (0.38 kg/m(2)/y) in November-March. Similar trends were seen for point velocities. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest seasonality in growth and body composition of Danish children. We recovered the well-known height velocity peak during spring time, but unlike earlier studies, we found coincident peaks in body weight, BMI, and FFMI velocities.
BACKGROUND: Earlier studies on seasonality in growth reported the largest height gains during spring and largest body weight gains during autumn. We examined seasonality in height, body weight, BMI, fat mass index (FMI), and fat-free mass index (FFMI) among contemporary Danish 8-11-y olds. METHODS: A total of 760 children from the OPUS School Meal Study provided >2,200 measurements on height, body weight, and composition between September and June. Average velocities were calculated using change-score analyses based on 3-mo intervals. As a complementary analysis, point velocities derived from estimated growth curves were fitted using semiparametric regression that included covariate adjustment and allowed flexible modeling of the time trend. RESULTS: Average velocities showed the following trends: height was higher than the average (6.10 cm/y) in January-April. Body weight was below the average (4.02 kg/y) in August-January and above in January-May; BMI (average: 0.49 kg/ m(2)/y) and FFMI (average: 0.17 kg/m(2)/y) showed similar trends. In contrast, FMI was above the average (0.38 kg/m(2)/y) in November-March. Similar trends were seen for point velocities. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest seasonality in growth and body composition of Danish children. We recovered the well-known height velocity peak during spring time, but unlike earlier studies, we found coincident peaks in body weight, BMI, and FFMI velocities.
Authors: Luis Gracia-Marco; Francisco B Ortega; Jonatan R Ruiz; Craig A Williams; Maria Hagströmer; Yannis Manios; Anthony Kafatos; Laurent Béghin; Angela Polito; Stefaan De Henauw; Jara Valtueña; Kurt Widhalm; Denes Molnar; Ute Alexy; Luis A Moreno; Michael Sjöström Journal: J Sports Sci Date: 2013-09-20 Impact factor: 3.337
Authors: Jeffrey J VanWormer; Burney A Kieke; Lawrence P Hanrahan; Jeremy J Pomeroy; Alex Mundy; Dale A Schoeller Journal: Pediatr Obes Date: 2019-10-08 Impact factor: 4.000
Authors: Sacha R B Verjans-Janssen; Sanne M P L Gerards; Stef P J Kremers; Steven B Vos; Maria W J Jansen; Dave H H Van Kann Journal: Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act Date: 2020-08-17 Impact factor: 6.457
Authors: David R Kolar; Katharina Bühren; Beate Herpertz-Dahlmann; Katja Becker; Karin Egberts; Stefan Ehrlich; Christian Fleischhaker; Alexander von Gontard; Freia Hahn; Michael Huss; Charlotte Jaite; Michael Kaess; Tanja Legenbauer; Tobias J Renner; Veit Roessner; Ulrike Schulze; Judith Sinzig; Ida Wessing; Johannes Hebebrand; Manuel Föcker; Ekkehart Jenetzky Journal: PLoS One Date: 2018-09-11 Impact factor: 3.240