A specialized medical research facility that will transform ground-breaking research into new medical equipment and technology is set to be established in Queensland, at the Herston Health Precinct.
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In Australia, experts can now predict if a newborn baby is at risk of childhood obesity by 8 to 9 years old.
Experts from the University of Queensland designed and validated the i-PATHWAY model. It uses simple risk factors that researchers mainly gathered during routine doctor visits at 12 months of age to predict future childhood obesity.
Dr. Oliver Canfell, a research fellow and an expert on diet and nutrition, said that the said model could measure the risk of childhood obesity with 74.6% accuracy.
The risk factors used are the newborn baby s weight change in their first year, mother s height and weight before pregnancy, father s height and weight, and the newborn baby s sleep pattern in the first year. Premature birth, if the mother smoked during her pregnancy and if the baby is female, was also used.