ArticleJournal of epidemiology and community health2009
An ecological systems approach to examining risk factors for early childhood overweight: findings from the UK Millennium Cohort Study.
Article in Journal of epidemiology and community health, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 96 papers, 13 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
96 citing papers in PubMed, 13 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Effects of behavioural interventions for preventing obesity in young children from ethnic minority backgrounds: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2026Pooled it
- The Relationship Between Paternal Smoking and Overweight/Obesity with Childhood Overweight/Obesity: A Systematic Review.Current obesity reports · 2025Pooled it
- Cultural adaptations of obesity-related behavioral prevention interventions in early childhood: A systematic review.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2022Pooled it
- Education of family members to support weaning to solids and nutrition in later infancy in term-born infants.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020Pooled it
- Maternal and early-life area-level characteristics and childhood adiposity: A systematic review.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2019Pooled it
- Systematic review of randomised controlled trials of interventions that aim to reduce the risk, either directly or indirectly, of overweight and obesity in infancy and early childhood.Maternal & child nutrition · 2016Pooled it
- Socioeconomic position and childhood-adolescent weight status in rich countries: a systematic review, 1990-2013.BMC pediatrics · 2015Pooled it
- The association between breastfeeding and childhood obesity: a meta-analysis.BMC public health · 2014Pooled it
- The impact of interventions to prevent obesity or improve obesity related behaviours in children (0-5 years) from socioeconomically disadvantaged and/or indigenous families: a systematic review.BMC public health · 2014Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Systematic review and meta-analyses of risk factors for childhood overweight identifiable during infancy.Archives of disease in childhood · 2012Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Association between timing of introducing solid foods and obesity in infancy and childhood: a systematic review.Maternal & child nutrition · 2011Pooled it
- Prospective BMI changes in preschool children are associated with parental characteristics and body weight perceptions: the ToyBox-study.Public health nutrition · 2022Trial
- Tools for teen moms to reduce infant obesity: a randomized clinical trial.BMC public health · 2015Trial
- Breastfeeding and Father Support: Bibliometric Analysis.Journal of human lactation : official journal of International Lactation Consultant Association · 2026Article
- A socio-ecological lens to segmenting adult's eating behaviour.Nutrition and health · 2025Article
- Mediating Effect of Infant Rapid Weight Gain on the Association Between Exclusive Breastfeeding and the Risk of Obesity Later in Life.Pediatric obesity · 2025Observational
- Fermented Apple Juice Reduces the Susceptibility of Offspring Mice to Food Allergy Exacerbated by Maternal High-Fat Diet.Nutrients · 2025Article
- Trajectory of Early Life Adiposity Among South Asian Children.JAMA network open · 2025Article
36 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo use an ecological systems approach to examine individual-, family-, community- and area-level risk factors for overweight (including obesity) in 3-year-old children.
methodsA prospective nationally representative cohort study conducted in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland. Participants included 13 188 singleton children aged 3 years in the Millennium Cohort Study, born between 2000 and 2002, who had complete height/weight data. The main outcome measure was childhood overweight (including obesity) defined by the International Obesity TaskForce cut-offs for body mass index.
results23.0% of 3-year-old children were overweight or obese. In the fully adjusted model, primarily individual- and family-level factors were associated with early childhood overweight: birthweight z-score (adjusted odds ratio, 1.36, 95% CI 1.30 to 1.42), black ethnicity (1.41, 1.11 to 1.80) (compared with white), introduction to solid foods <4 months (1.12, 1.02 to 1.23), lone motherhood (1.32, 1.15 to 1.51), smoking during pregnancy (1-9 cigarettes daily: 1.34, 1.17 to 1.54; 10-19: 1.49, 1.26 to 1.75; 20+: 1.34, 1.05 to 1.70), parental overweight (both: 1.89, 1.63 to 2.19; father only: 1.45, 1.28 to 1.63; mother only: 1.37, 1.18 to 1.58), prepregnancy overweight (1.28, 1.14 to 1.45) and maternal employment > or =21 hours/week (1.23, 1.10 to 1.37) (compared with never worked). Breastfeeding > or =4 months (0.86, 0.76 to 0.97) (compared with none) and Indian ethnicity (0.63, 0.42 to 0.94) were associated with a decreased risk of early childhood overweight. Children from Wales were also more likely to be overweight than children from England.
conclusionsMost risk factors for early childhood overweight are modifiable or would allow at-risk groups to be identified. Policies and interventions should focus on parents and providing them with an environment to support healthy behaviours for themselves and their children.
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