The association of infant growth patterns with adiposity in adolescence: Prospective observations from Hong Kong's 'Children of 1997' birth cohort

Background The role of infant growth in adiposity remains unclear. Methods We used multivariable linear regression, with inverse probability weighting and multiple imputation to account for loss to follow-up, in a population-representative Chinese birth cohort, 'Children of 1997' in Hong Kong, to examine, in terms births, the adjusted association of infant (birth to 12 months) weight growth trajectories with body mass index (BMI) (n-=-6861, 88% follow-up), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) (n-=-5398, 69% follow-up) at ∼14 years. Results Infant weight growth trajectories had graded associations with adolescent BMI and WHtR but not with WHR, such that compared with adolescents born light with slow infant growth, adolescents born heavy with fast infant growth had higher BMI z-score [0.60, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.49, 0.70], higher WHtR z-score (0.17, 95% CI 0.08, 0.26) but similar WHR z-score (-0.02, 95% CI -0.11, 0.08), adjusted for sex, gestational age, parental education, parental BMI, parental height, and parental place of birth. Conclusions Varying associations of infant growth with different adiposity measures suggest a complex role of infant growth in long-term health, perhaps because infant growth, or its underlying drivers, influences build and body composition as well as adiposity.