Association of birth weight with adiposity in school children from different regions of Argentina

Abstract

Introduction: several studies have suggested that low and high birth weight are associated with obesity (OB) and overweight (OW) during childhood and adulthood. Objectives: to determine the association between birth weight and OB in 9-year-old schoolchildren from three areas of Argentina. Materials an methods: anthropometric measurements and blood pressure (BP) were taken in 1.131 schoolchildren (505 males) of an average age of 8.8±2.1 years in three areas of Argentina during 2019. Mothers were asked about their children’s birth weight and lifestyle. Results: 21.1% (239) of the children had OW (BMI>85 95 percentile). The prevalence of low birth weight (4.000 g) was 7.3% (n=82). The 9-year-old z-BMI score increased significantly with increasing birth weight: low birth weight (z-BMI=0.33), normal (z-BMI=0.72) and high (z-BMI=1.12). In multiple logistic regression models, it was found that low birth weight was inversely associated with OB (OR, 0.41 [95% CI: 0.19-0.92]), while high birth weight was directly associated with OB adjusted for age and sex (OR, 2.48 [95% CI 1.53-4.02]). Conclusions: our data indicate that high birth weight, but not low birth weight, is associated with OB in 9-year-old schoolchildren, while low birth weight is inversely associated with OB.

Keywords

• peso de nacimiento
• obesidad
• sobrepeso
• escolares
• estilo de vida