Overweight and Obesity Between Adolescence and Young Adulthood: A 10-year Prospective Cohort Study

Abstract Objectives To assess changes in overweight and obesity between adolescence and young adulthood. Design Prospective 8-wave cohort study in Victoria, Australia, with 1,520 adolescents tracked from the age of 14 for a period of 10 years. Main outcome measures Participants aged 18 years overweight was defined as a body mass index (BMI) ≥25; and obesity as a BMI ≥30. Results The proportion of overweight individuals increased from 20% in mid-adolescence to 33% at the age of 24 years. Obesity increased from 3.6% to 6.7%. Approximately 40% of young adults with a BMI ≥25 had been persistently at normal weights during adolescence and approximately 80% had been at a normal weight at some point. Around half of obese young adults had never been classified as obese as adolescents. No individual with persistent obesity in adolescence had a BMI