ORs (with 95% CIs) for the association of obese status in early adulthood and growth in early childhood with metabolic status in mid-life; stratified by mid-life obesity status
| Model* | Metabolically healthy, normal weight† | Metabolically at risk, normal weight† | Metabolically healthy, but obese† | Metabolically at risk, obese† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full sample, N=2329 | ||||
| N=469 | N=826 | N=297 | N=800 | |
| Early-onset obesity‡ | ||||
| 1 | 0.90 (0.64 to 1.25) p=0.52 | 1 (ref) | 0.84 (0.57 to 1.23) p=0.37 | 1 (ref) |
| 2 | 0.76 (0.54 to 1.07) p=0.12 | 1 (ref) | 0.69 (0.46 to 1.04) p=0.08 | 1 (ref) |
| Subsample with childhood growth data, N=613 | ||||
| N=130 | N=207 | N=76 | N=200 | |
| BMI at 7 (kg/m2) | ||||
| 1 | 0.97 (0.85 to 1.10) p=0.60 | 1 (ref) | 0.99 (0.88 to 1.13) p=0.92 | 1 (ref) |
| 2 | 0.93 (0.81 to 1.07) p=0.32 | 1 (ref) | 0.97 (0.85 to 1.10) p=0.65 | 1 (ref) |
| BMI change 7–13 (kg/m2/year) | ||||
| 1 | 0.85 (0.41 to 1.70) p=0.62 | 1 (ref) | 1.50 (0.73 to 3.05) p=0.27 | 1 (ref) |
| 2 | 0.66 (0.25 to 1.72) p=0.39 | 1 (ref) | 1.40 (0.61 to 3.48) p=0.38 | 1 (ref) |
Coefficients are ORs (95% CIs) comparing obese in early adulthood with non-obese in early adulthood, or a one unit increase in body mass index (BMI) at age 7 or the linear rate of change in BMI between 7 and 13 years.
*Model details: model 1 is unadjusted; model 2 is adjusted for age at outcome assessment and year of draft board examination. In model 2 the coefficient for change in BMI between 7 and 13 years is additionally adjusted for BMI at 7 years as predicted by the multilevel model.
†Metabolically healthy is defined by having pulse pressure (systolic–diastolic blood pressure) <48 mm Hg, glucose <8.39 mmol/L and cholesterol <6.6 mmol/L; that is, any one or more metabolic abnormality confers ‘metabolically at-risk’ status. Obesity in mid-life is defined by BMI ≥30 kg/m2.
‡Defined as 35% overweight relative to a Scandinavian standard in use at the time, equivalent to a BMI ≥31 kg/m2 in early adulthood, mean age 20 years.