Anthropometric relationships between parents and children throughout childhood: the Fleurbaix-Laventie Ville Santé Study.

BACKGROUND: The study of parent-child anthropometric relationships and their evolution over time may help to better understand familial risk factors for childhood obesity. METHODS: In a population-based cohort of 124 nuclear families (Fleurbaix-Laventie Ville Sant?tudy (FLVS) I and II), various anthropometric parameters were measured in both parents and their children, first when the children were prepubescent and again at the end of puberty. Troncular adiposity repartition was estimated by calculating troncular to peripheral skinfolds ratio and waist-to-hip circumferences ratio. Birth and infancy heights and weights were also obtained from the children's health booklets. Parent-child correlations were estimated in infancy, before and at the end of the child's puberty. A prospective analysis was performed to predict the changes in the children's measurements over puberty according to their parents' corresponding baseline values. RESULTS: BMI and weight correlations at birth were high (>0.30) with the mother and low (