Scientists Reveal Most Accurate Prediction Model for Childhood Obesity

Study uses six easy-to-measure factors

British researchers have unearthed a simple formula that they say can predict a newborn baby's odds of becoming an obese child.

The new formula looks at a child's birth weight, body mass index measurements of its parents, the number of people in the household, what type of occupation the mother has and whether or not she smoked while pregnant and can predict whether or not parents should prepare to have a hefty child on their hands.

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"This test takes very little time, it doesn't require any lab tests and it doesn't cost anything," study author Dr. Philippe Froguel, a professor from the School of Public Health at Imperial College London, said in a press release.

Their findings were published Nov. 28 in PLoS One.

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