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LETTERS: E Leigh Gibson, Jane Wardle, Carolyn Edwards, Lucy Cooke, Charlotte M Wright, and Louise Parker Implications of childhood obesity for adult health BMJ 2002; 324: 676 [Full text]

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Hardly a "rediscovery" ..

George Davey Smith   (5 April 2002)

Hardly a "rediscovery" .. 5 April 2002
George Davey Smith, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology Send response to journal: Re: Hardly a "rediscovery" ..	Charlotte Wright and Louise Parker say that they could find two previous studies examining adult health consequences of childhood overweight (1,2). They go on to say that "the study that suggested a bad outcome is widely cited, while the other much larger study, which was consistent with ours, was only recently rediscovered by one diligent reviewer and is seldom otherwise cited". In fact the study they say was widely cited has 20 citations on the Web of Science and the one that they say was "only recently rediscovered" has 128 citations, a large proportion of those in the last few years. This is not surprising, as the "rediscovered" paper is one of the classics of the field, cited in virtually all serious literature on the long-term outcomes of childhood obesity. References 1. Vanhala M, Vanhal P, Kumpusalo E, Halonen P, Takala J. Relation between obesity from childhood to adulthood and the metabolic syndrome: population based study. BMJ 1998;317:319. 2. Abraham S, Collins G, Nordsieck M. Relationship of childhood weight status to morbidity in adults. HSMHA Health Report 1971;86:273-84.