Association between Chinese Famine Exposure and the Risk of Overweight/Obesity and Abdominal Obesity in Laterlife: A Cross-sectional Study

This study aimed to examine the association between famine exposure in different stages of life and the risk of overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity in laterlife. A total of 12,458 participants were categorized into non-exposure and four direct exposures, including fetal, childhood, adolescence, and adult exposure. Only risk of being overweight or obesity in adolescence exposure [odds ratio (OR), 1.45; 95% confidence interval (Cl), 1.08-1.94] was significantly higher than in non-exposure. Childhood (OR, 1.27; 95% Cl, 1.05-1.54) and adolescence (OR, 1.53; 95% Cl, 1.15-2.05) exposures had significantly an increased risk of abdominal obesity compared with non-exposure. Additionally, different famine severity exposures had different influences on the development of overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity. Famine exposure in adolescence, which was a behavior formative period, can increase the risk of overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity in adulthood, specifically in famine severely affect area.