[Relationship of childhood obesity to adult obesity: a 20-year longitudinal study from birth in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan].

Abstract Evidence regarding the relationship between childhood obesity and adult obesity in Japan is limited. This study was conducted to determine the relationship between childhood mass index (BMI) at 3 months, 12 months, 3 years and 20 years in a general population. Data obtained from men and women aged 20 years (born between 1968-1974), who had received medical examinations in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, were linked to data of medical examinations of the same individuals as infants (3 months, 12 months, and 3 years). The relationship between childhood BMI (or Kaup index) and adult BMI was analyzed for a total of 2,314 participants (1,080 men and 1,234 women), whose data could be followed for 20 years. BMI at 20 years displayed significant positive correlations with BMI at 3 months, 12 months, and 3 years; this correlation was strongest with respect to BMI at 3 years (r = 0.33, p