Childhood obesity, a major public health problem, can lead to
cardiovascular disease in adulthood. Studies have implicated exposure to
bisphenol A (BPA), a commonly used chemical, in the development of
obesity in adults. However, literature is limited on this association in children. We examined the association between urinary BPA and
obesity in children aged 6-18 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2003-2008). The primary exposure was urinary BPA and the outcome was
obesity, defined as the ≥ 95th percentile of body mass index specific for age and sex. We found a positive association between increasing levels of urinary BPA and
obesity, independent of age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, physical activity, serum
cotinine, and urinary
creatinine. Compared with children in the lowest quartile of BPA (<1.5 ng/mL), children in the highest quartile (>5.4 ng/mL) had a multivariable odds ratio for
obesity of 2.55 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.65, 3.95) (Ptrend < 0.01). The observed positive association was predominantly present in boys (odds ratio = 3.80, 95% CI: 2.25, 6.43) (Ptrend < 0.001) and in non-Hispanic whites (odds ratio = 5.87, 95% CI: 2.15, 16.05) (Ptrend < 0.01). In a representative sample of children, urinary BPA was associated with
obesity, predominantly in non-Hispanic white boys, independent of major risk factors.