Mechanical personal scale

Information about maternal weight just before pregnancy was obtained by questionnaire, and height was measured without shoes and heavy clothing on enrolment, from which BMI (kg/m²) was calculated. The correlation of pre-pregnancy weight obtained by questionnaire and weight measured at the first antenatal visit was 0.96. Partner’s height (cm) and weight (kg) were also measured at enrolment.
When the children were age 5 onwards, they were invited to participate in a hands-on assessment of anthropometry. Their height and weight without shoes and heavy clothing were measured and used to calculate BMI. Weight (kg) was measured using a mechanical personal scale (SECA, Almere, The Netherlands) and height (m) was determined in standing position using a Harpenden stadiometer (Holtain Limited, Dyfed, UK). The age of the child when they attended the research clinic was recorded in months.

Children’s anthropometrics and body composition were measured by well-trained staff at a median age of 5.9 years (95 % range 5.7–6.5) in a dedicated research center in the Sophia Children’s Hospital in Rotterdam. Height was determined in standing position to the nearest millimeter without shoes with a Harpenden stadiometer (Holtain Limited, Dyfed, U.K.). Weight was measured using a mechanical personal scale (SECA, Almere, the Netherlands) and body mass index (BMI) was calculated (body weight (kg)/height (m)²).
Total body, android, and gynoid fat mass were measured using a Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanner (iDXA, GE-Lunar, 2008, Madison, WI, USA), which analyzed fat, lean and bone mass of the total body and specific regions using enCORE software v.13.6. We calculated fat mass index (FMI) [fat mass (kg)/height (m)²] and fat-free mass index (FFMI) [fat-free mass (kg)/height (m)²] [21 (link)]. As secondary outcome measures we also examined android/gynoid ratio (android fat mass divided by gynoid fat mass); and body fat percentage (BF %) (fat mass as percentage of total body weight). We calculated age- and sex-specific SD scores for all outcomes based on the total Generation R Study sample with body composition measurements available the age of 6 years (n = 6491).

Length (to 24 months)/height (from 24 months) and weight were measured according to a standard schedule and procedures by a well-trained staff at each visit to the child health centre. Length was measured in supine position to the nearest millimetre until the age of 24 months using a neonatometer, after which height was measured in standing position by a Harpenden stadiometer (Holtain Limited, Dyfed, U.K.). Weight was measured using a mechanical personal scale to the nearest 0.01 kg (SECA, Hamburg, Germany). A child usually visits the child health center that is assigned according to postal code. Routine visits at the child health centers are scheduled around 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 11, 14, 18, 24, 30, 36, and 45 months of age. BMI was calculated as weight/height². BMI-for-age z-scores were derived from national growth curves
[10 (link)]. We used the age and gender specific cut-off points of the International Obesity Task Force to define overweight
[11 (link)].