Does Adolescent Obesity Lead to Adult Obesity?

The growing prevalence of adult obesity (particularly severe obesity; i.e., body-mass index [BMI], ≥40 kg/m²) and lack of effective treatment (other than bariatric surgery, which has substantial risks) have led to a sharpened focus on obesity prevention. To determine the likelihood that obesity in adolescence leads to obesity in adulthood, researchers conducted a prospective cohort study of 8834 adolescents who were normal weight or obese, but not severely obese; they were followed from 1996 through 2009, when their mean age was 29. In addition, 79 severely obese adolescents (BMI, >120% of the 95th percentile at study entry) were followed for the same period.

Of the 79 severely obese adolescents, 60 (76%) remained severely obese as adults. O…