Overweight/obesity, activity patterns, and health in 4-year-olds: the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children

Funded Activity Summary

Levels of overweight and obesity are at an all-time high, but we know little about: - its prevalence in young Australian children - the activity patterns of young children and how this relates to overweight-obesity, at an age when lasting patterns of sedentary behaviour are becoming established. A better understanding of this relationship is important, because low levels of physical activity are probably a major driver in the current epidemic - how overweight-obesity affects very young children - how a familial predisposition to gain weight is translated into excessive weight gain during early childhood The present study will utilise data collected as part of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC). In March 2004, LSAC will enrol a nationally-representative cohort including 5000 4-year-olds for comprehensive longitudinal study, with the first wave of data available for analysis in April 2005. A unique feature of LSAC is direct measurement of children's weight and height coupled with detailed data about their use of time and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The availability of these data will enable us for the first time to study the relationship between childhood overweight-obesity, detailed activity patterns of young children, parental overweight-obesity and the relationship between these variables and children's HRQoL. In late 2003, the National Health and Medical Research Council published its evidence-based Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Overweight and Obesity in Children and Adolescents. This application addresses several of its key research recommendations, far more efficiently than could be done if a new study had to be set up specifically for this purpose. The proposal acknowledges the common problem of under-funding for analysis of important large datasets, and seeks to address this issue right from the start of LSAC.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2005

End Date: 01-01-2006

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $108,800.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Community Child Health

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

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Other Keywords

community child health | health-related quality of life | obesity | overweight/obesity | physical activity | risk and protective factors | sedentary behaviour | time use

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