Changes in body composition by age and obesity status in preschool-aged children: the STEPS study

Background/Objectives Obesity in early childhood is associated with increased risk of chronic diseases, but studies of body composition at preschool ages are sparse. Therefore, we examined differences in body composition by sex and obesity status in Finnish preschool-aged children and within-individual changes in body composition in normal and overweight children. Subject/Methods Body composition was measured using segmental multifrequency bioimpedance analysis (BIA) in 476 children and in 781 children at age 3 and 5 years, respectively. Of those, 308 had repeated BIA measurements at both ages. BMI-SDS was used for classification of normal weight and overweight children. Results Sex difference in the amount of lean mass (LM) was already seen at 3 years of age (boys 11.7 kg, girls 11.3 kg; p