A simple formula, more accurately than complex genetic tests, can predict whether a baby is likely to become obese in childhood. The formula is available as an online calculator http://files-good.ibl.fr/childhood-obesity which esitmates the child's obesity risk based on a few factors:
- birth weight
- body mass index of parents
- number of people in household
- the mother's professional status
- the mother's smoking status during pregnancy
The researchers behind the study, published in the online journal PLOS ONE, hope that their calculator can be used to spot infants at high risk and help their families to prevent their children from putting on too much weight, as once a child becomes obese, it is difficult to lose.
The study, lead by Professor Philipe Froguel, from the School of Public Health at Imperial College in London, looked at 4,000 children born in Finland. They were looking for genetic profiles as markers for childhood obesity, but failed to make accurate predictions. Instead they looked at information readily available at the time of birth, and found those factors were more accurate. The formula has worked not only in Finnish kids, but has been replicated in Italy and the US.
Professor Froguel states that the beauty of the formula is its simplicity, it takes very little time to gather the information and costs nothing. While not all children who have the risk factors are destined to become obese, as one in ten cases are caused by a rare genetic mutation that affects appetite, the majority of children can be targeted early to prevent a life time of struggles with their weight.
