Poor Coordination in Childhood Tied to Adult Obesity (HealthDay)

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 13 (HealthDay News) -- A lack of physical controland coordination in childhood may be tied to an increased risk of obesityin later life, a new study says.

The research, published online at Wednesday, adds to previousstudies that found poorer cognitive function in childhood may be linked toobesity and type 2 diabetes in adults.

The findings, based on 11,041 individuals in the ongoing National ChildDevelopment Study in Great Britain, showed that children who showed poorhand control, poor coordination, and clumsiness at age 7 in testing weremore likely to be obese adults. Those with poorer functioning motor skillsat age 11 also tended to be obese at age 33.

Adjusting for factors that may influence the results, such as childhoodbody mass and family social class, did not change the results. However,the study did not delve into specific biological processes that mayexplain poorer physical control and coordination in childhood with adultobesity.

"Some early life exposures (such as maternal smoking during pregnancy)or personal characteristics may impair the development of physical controland coordination, as well as increasing the risk of obesity in laterlife," the authors, from Imperial College London and Orebro UniversityHospital & Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, wrote.

"Rather than being explained by a single factor, an accumulationthroughout life of many associated cultural, personal, and economicexposures is likely to underlie the risks for obesity and some elements ofassociated neurological function," they concluded.

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