Maternal body image dissatisfaction and BMI change in school-age children.

OBJECTIVE: Parental body image dissatisfaction (BID) is associated with children's weight in cross-sectional studies; however, it is unknown whether BID predicts development of adiposity. The objective of the present study was to investigate the associations between maternal dissatisfaction with her or her child's body and children's BMI trajectories. DESIGN: Longitudinal study. Maternal dissatisfaction (BID) with her and her child's body was calculated based on ratings of Stunkard scales obtained at recruitment, as current minus desired body image. Children's height and weight were measured at baseline and annually for a median of 2·5 years. Mixed-effects models with restricted cubic splines were used to construct sex- and weight-specific BMI-for-age curves according to maternal BID levels. SETTING: Public primary schools in Bogotá, Colombia. SUBJECTS: Children (n 1523) aged 5-12 years and their mothers. RESULTS: After multivariable adjustment, heavy boys and thin girls whose mothers desired a thinner child gained an estimated 1·7 kg/m2 more BMI (P=0·04) and 2·4 kg/m2 less BMI (P=0·004), respectively, between the age 6 and 14 years, than children of mothers without BID. Normal-weight boys whose mothers desired a thinner child's body gained an estimated 1·8 kg/m2 less BMI than normal-weight boys of mothers without BID (P=0·02). Maternal BID with herself was positively related to children's BMI gain during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal BID is associated with child's BMI trajectories in a sex- and weight-specific manner.

A prospective study of body image dissatisfaction and BMI change in school-age children.

OBJECTIVE: Body image dissatisfaction (BID) in school-age children is positively associated with weight status in cross-sectional studies; however, it is uncertain whether BID is a risk factor for the development of adiposity over time. The aim of the present study was to examine the association of BID with changes in BMI in school-age children. DESIGN: Longitudinal study. At recruitment, children were asked to indicate the silhouette that most closely represented their current and desired body shapes using child-adapted Stunkard scales. Baseline BID was calculated as the difference of current minus desired body image. Height and weight were measured at recruitment and then annually for a median of 2·5 years. Sex-specific BMI-for-age curves were estimated by levels of baseline BID, using mixed-effects models with restricted cubic splines. SETTING: Public primary schools in Bogotá, Colombia. SUBJECTS: Six hundred and twenty-nine children aged 5-12 years. RESULTS: In multivariable analyses, thin boys who desired to be thinner gained an estimated 5·8 kg/m2 more BMI from age 6 to 14 years than boys without BID (P = 0·0004). Heavy boys who desired to be heavier or thinner gained significantly more BMI than boys without BID (P = 0·003 and P = 0·007, respectively). Thin girls who desired to be heavier or thinner gained significantly less BMI than girls without BID (P = 0·0008 and P = 0·05, respectively), whereas heavy girls who desired to be heavier gained an estimated 4·8 kg/m2 less BMI than girls without BID (P = 0·0006). BID was not related to BMI change in normal-weight children. CONCLUSIONS: BID is associated with BMI trajectories of school-age children in a sex- and weight-specific manner.

BMI and sociodemographic correlates of body image perception and attitudes in school-aged children.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to identify correlates of body image perception and dissatisfaction among school-aged children from Colombia, a country undergoing the nutrition transition. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. Using child-adapted Stunkard scales, children were asked to indicate the silhouette that most closely represented their current and desired body shapes. Body image dissatisfaction (BID) score was estimated as current minus desired silhouette. Height and weight were measured in all children. Sociodemographic data were collected through questionnaires completed by the children's mothers. SETTING: Public primary schools in Bogotá, Colombia. SUBJECTS: Children aged 5-12 years (n 629) and their mothers. RESULTS: Mean BID score was 0·1 (SD 1·7). The strongest predictor of BID was actual BMI-for-age Z-score (BAZ). Compared with children with BAZ ≥ -1 and < 1, those with BAZ ≥ 2 had a 1·9 units higher BID score (P for trend < 0·0001). BID tended to be higher in girls than boys at any level of BAZ. Other correlates of BID included child's height-for-age Z-score, maternal BMI and dissatisfaction with the child's body, and home ownership. CONCLUSIONS: Among school-aged children from a country experiencing the nutrition transition, body image perception was associated with the child's weight and height, and with maternal BMI, dissatisfaction with the child's body and socio-economic level.

Micronutrient status and global DNA methylation in school-age children.

Aberrations in global LINE-1 DNA methylation have been related to risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease. Micronutrients including methyl-donors and retinoids are involved in DNA methylation pathways. We investigated associations of micronutrient status and LINE-1 methylation in a cross-sectional study of school-age children from Bogotá, Colombia. Methylation of LINE-1 repetitive elements was quantified in 568 children 5-12 years of age using pyrosequencing technology. We examined the association of LINE-1 methylation with erythrocyte folate, plasma vitamin B12, vitamin A ferritin (an indicator of iron status) and serum zinc concentrations using multivariable linear regression. We also considered associations of LINE-1 methylation with socio-demographic and anthropometric characteristics. Mean (± SD) LINE-1 methylation was 80.25 (± 0.65) percentage of 5-mC (%5-mC). LINE-1 methylation was inversely related to plasma vitamin A. After adjustment for potential confounders, children with retinol levels higher than or equal to 1.05 µmol/L showed 0.19% 5-mC lower LINE-1 methylation than children with retinol levels lower than 0.70 µmol/L. LINE-1 methylation was also inversely associated with C-reactive protein, a marker of chronic inflammation, and female sex. We identified positive associations of maternal body mass index and socioeconomic status with LINE-1 methylation. These associations were not significantly different by sex. Whether modification of these exposures during school-age years leads to changes in global DNA methylation warrants further investigation.