Summer Weight Gain Among Preschool-Aged Children With Obesity: An Observational Study in Head Start

Prev Chronic Dis. 2021 Mar 18:18:E25. doi: 10.5888/pcd18.200532.

Abstract

School-aged children gain weight most rapidly in summer, but few studies have investigated summer weight gain among preschool-aged children. We fit continuous linear spline mixed models to test for accelerated summer weight gain among 2,044 children attending 16 Boston-area Head Start programs between fall 2016 and spring 2019. Academic year and summer rates of change in modified body mass index z-score differed (P < .001), with accelerated summer weight gain most pronounced among children with obesity. As with school-aged children, increased focus on the summer is warranted for promoting healthy weight among children in Head Start.

Publication types

  • Observational Study
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Body Mass Index
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Early Intervention, Educational
  • Humans
  • Obesity* / epidemiology
  • Seasons
  • Weight Gain*