The aim of the study was to estimate the association between relative weight in childhood and adolescence and its relationship
with adult health outcome. Longitudinal data of the body mass index (BMI) from the Wroc³aw Growth Study
(WGS) covering ages 8 to 18 and then a follow-up at 50 were used. At the age of 50, 124 males and 139 females in the longitudinal
study underwent medical examination. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP), total cholesterol
(TCH), high density lipoprotein cholesterol level (HDL), low density lipoprotein cholesterol level (LDL), triglyceride level
(TGL) and fasting glucose level (GLUC) were assessed by using standard techniques. The values of BMI were standardised
with the LMS method. Multiple linear regression was used to assess the relationship between health parameters and
BMI at ages 8–18, adjusted for BMI at the age of 50, separately for different age categories and parameters, except for
blood pressure where the usage of anti-hypertension medication was additionally used as a control variable. In males total
cholesterol concentration showed a significant negative correlation with standardised BMI at ages 9–12 and 16 and
17. In females, only blood pressure showed a significant negative relationship with standardised BMI in all age categories
reaching the highest values at age 15. The BMI in childhood and adolescence have only a weak effect on health outcome
at age 50
