Association of early life factors with weight disorders and abdominal obesity in children and adolescents: The CASPIAN-V study

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Childhood weight disorder is a major public health problem worldwide. Although high income countries are facing to obesity, middle and low-income countries are struggling with a double burden of nutritional disorders. OBJECTIVES: To determine the association between early life factors with weight disorders and central obesity among children and adolescents. METHODS: This cross-sectional multi-centric study was conducted on 14400 students, aged 7-18 years in 2015 as a national surveillance program. Students were selected by random cluster sampling from 30 provinces of Iran. Early life factors were obtained via validated questionnaire from parents. Physical examination and anthropometric indices were documented. Weight disorders were includes underweight, excess weight based on World Health Organization growth charts and abdominal obesity. RESULTS: Students with low birth weight had higher odds for underweight than students with normal weight (OR = 1.29, 95 CI: 1.03-1.65). The odds of excess weight in students with high birth weight were 36 higher than students with normal birth weight (OR = 1.36, 95 CI: 1.04-1.79,). In multivariate model, consuming cow's milk in the two first years of life, prolonged breast feeding, high birth weight, and low pre-conception mother's weight was associated with abdominal obesity. CONCLUSION: This study underscores the importance of early life factors on weight disorders in particular obesity and abdominal obesity of children and adolescents in later life.