BACKGROUND:

Obesity is a growing problem in the developed world. It is thought to have its roots in rapid growth in infancy and early childhood[i], and is associated with a range of physical and psychosocial problems. Anecdotal evidence suggests that babies with a higher than average weight may experience mild gross motor delay of their developmental attainment. From a biomechanical viewpoint, it seems reasonable to hypothesize that obesity might lead to impairments in motor development, but few studies have investigated this relationship, and results are conflicting. Graf et al. found a small but significant inverse correlation between gross motor performance and BMI in first grade children (boys and girls) (r=-0.164; pless than 0.001). Similarly, in their study of 9415 schoolchildren, Mond et al.[ii] found a significantly higher prevalence of impairment of motor development amongst obese boys as compared to non-obese boys. However, this relationship was not found for girls, and Jones et al.[iii] found no difference in the motor abilities of normal weight and overweight children. The current literature has looked at the effects of obesity in children aged 2-14 years. It has not been possible to determine the direction of effect i.e. whether obesity leads to impairment of motor development or vice versa.

AIMS:

To test the hypothesis that infants with a higher than average weight at 6 months of age take longer to attain their gross motor milestones. To attempt to determine the direction of effect by carrying out analyses using data collected at more than one time point.

[i] Eriksson J, Forsen T et al., Obesity from cradle to grave, Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord, 2003 Jun, 27(6), 722-727

[ii] Mond JM, Stich H et al., Associations between obesity and developmental functioning in preschool children: a population-based study, Int J Obes 2007, 31, 1068-1073

[iii] Jones RA, Okely AD et al., Relationships between weight status and child, parent and community characteristics in preschool children, Int J Pediatr Obes 2008, 26, 1-8