Does being overweight or obese as a child mean being overweight or obese as an adult?

The most important long-term consequence of childhood obesity is its persistence into adulthood. That is, overweight and obesity in childhood are strong predictors of adult obesity. In fact, obese children have a 25-50% chance of becoming obese adults.¹

An obese child is more likely to be obese as an adult if:

1. The child is obese in adolescence. Obesity is more likely to persist when its onset is in late childhood or adolescence. The later in adolescence that overweight persists, the greater the likelihood of adult obesity. According to the NHMRC obesity guidelines, up to 50% of obese adolescents remain obese in adulthood.²
2. The child has severe obesity. The greater the degree of overweight, or the more obese a child is, the greater the likelihood of adult obesity.
3. There is parental obesity. The persistence of obesity is more likely in children who have an obese parent(s).  If one parent is obese, it has been estimated that there is approximately a 40% chance of the child being obese. If both parents are obese, the probability rises to 80%.³

There is now evidence showing that the link between obesity and disease begins early in life. Being obese as a child or adolescent increases the risk of health problems, which are associated with adult obesity, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, some types of cancer and gallstones.

Therefore, it is important to prevent substantial weight gain and obesity in childhood and adolescence for a number of reasons, especially to stop the development of adult overweight or obesity and related health problems.

References:
1. New South Wales Cancer Council www.nswcc.org.au
2. National Health & Medical Research Council. Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Overweight and Obesity in Children and Adolescents. Commonwealth of Australia, 2003.
3. Foodwatch www.foodwatch.com.au