Tuija Leskinen1,2, Aino-Maija Eloranta3,4, Tuomo Tompuri3, Antti Saari5, Helena Ollila6, Johanna Mäkelä7, Harri Niinikoski8, Hanna Lagström9,10. 1. Department of Public Health, University of Turku, and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland. 2. Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku, Turku, Finland. 3. Institute on Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland. 4. Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland. 5. Department of Pediatrics, Kuopio University Hospital, and University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland. 6. Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland. 7. Finnish Clinical Biobank Tampere, Pirkanmaa Hospital District and Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland. 8. Department of Pediatrics and Physiology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland. 9. Department of Public Health, University of Turku, and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland. hanlag@utu.fi. 10. Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku, Turku, Finland. hanlag@utu.fi.
Abstract
BACKGROUND/ OBJECTIVES: Obesity in early childhood is associated with increased risk of chronic diseases, but studies of body composition at preschool ages are sparse. Therefore, we examined differences in body composition by sex and obesity status in Finnish preschool-aged children and within-individual changes in body composition in normal and overweight children. SUBJECT/ METHODS: Body composition was measured using segmental multifrequency bioimpedance analysis (BIA) in 476 children and in 781 children at age 3 and 5 years, respectively. Of those, 308 had repeated BIA measurements at both ages. BMI-SDS was used for classification of normal weight and overweight children. RESULTS: Sex difference in the amount of lean mass (LM) was already seen at 3 years of age (boys 11.7 kg, girls 11.3 kg; p < 0.001). At 5 years of age, boys had lower fat mass (FM; 3.6 kg vs. 3.9 kg, p < 0.001), lower percent fat mass (%FM; 17.2% vs. 19.1%; p < 0.001), and higher LM (16.0 kg vs. 15.2 kg; p < 0.001) than girls. Overweight children had higher values in FM, %FM, and LM compared with normal weight peers at both ages. Among normal weight children, the increase of LM by age was associated with only minor changes in FM, whereas children who were or became overweight both LM and FM was substantially increased between 3 and 5 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: BIA-assessed body composition differs by sex and obesity status already at age of 3 years. For children who are or become overweight at very young age, the patterns for the changes in LM and FM by age are different than for normal weight children.
BACKGROUND/ OBJECTIVES:Obesity in early childhood is associated with increased risk of chronic diseases, but studies of body composition at preschool ages are sparse. Therefore, we examined differences in body composition by sex and obesity status in Finnish preschool-aged children and within-individual changes in body composition in normal and overweight children. SUBJECT/ METHODS: Body composition was measured using segmental multifrequency bioimpedance analysis (BIA) in 476 children and in 781 children at age 3 and 5 years, respectively. Of those, 308 had repeated BIA measurements at both ages. BMI-SDS was used for classification of normal weight and overweight children. RESULTS: Sex difference in the amount of lean mass (LM) was already seen at 3 years of age (boys 11.7 kg, girls 11.3 kg; p < 0.001). At 5 years of age, boys had lower fat mass (FM; 3.6 kg vs. 3.9 kg, p < 0.001), lower percent fat mass (%FM; 17.2% vs. 19.1%; p < 0.001), and higher LM (16.0 kg vs. 15.2 kg; p < 0.001) than girls. Overweight children had higher values in FM, %FM, and LM compared with normal weight peers at both ages. Among normal weight children, the increase of LM by age was associated with only minor changes in FM, whereas children who were or became overweight both LM and FM was substantially increased between 3 and 5 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: BIA-assessed body composition differs by sex and obesity status already at age of 3 years. For children who are or become overweight at very young age, the patterns for the changes in LM and FM by age are different than for normal weight children.
Authors: Alexandra Thajer; Gabriele Skacel; Katharina Truschner; Anselm Jorda; Martin Vasek; Brian Horsak; Johanna Strempfl; Alexandra Kautzky-Willer; Franz Kainberger; Susanne Greber-Platzer Journal: Children (Basel) Date: 2021-04-11