Velocidade de ganho de peso nos primeiros anos de vida e excesso de peso entre 5-11 anos de idade, Salvador, Bahia, Brasil

Association between rapid weight gain and overweight in children aged 0 to 5 years in Latin America

Abstract Objectives: to assess the prevalence of rapid weight gain (RWG) in children born with normal weight and its association with overweight (OW) in four Latin America countries. Methods: cross-sectional study in children aged 0 to 5 from the Pesquisa Nacional de Demografia e Saúde da Criança e da Mulher in Brazil and the Encuesta Nacional de Demografía y Salud in Bolivia, Colombia and Peru,using a birth weight ≥2,500g. The outcome variable was OW, the exposure was RWG and breastfeeding (BF) was the adjustment variable. Prevalence, odds ratio and 95% confidence intervalwere estimated using multivariate logistic regression model. Results: there was a greater prevalence of RWG and BF at less than 6 months in Brazil, and a greater prevalence of OW in Brazil and Bolivia. The chances of OW when RWG was present and adjusted for BF were 6.1 times (CI95% = 3.8-9.7) in Brazil, 4.4 times (CI95% = 3.6-5.3) in Bolivia, 6.7 times (CI95% = 5.5-8.2) in Colombia, and 12.2 times in Peru (CI95% = 9.4-15.7) with a p < 0.001 for all countries. Conclusions: RWG in children with normal birth weight was associated with a greater chance of being OW in the four observed Latin America countries.

Maternal obesity, environmental factors, cesarean delivery and breastfeeding as determinants of overweight and obesity in children: results from a cohort

BACKGROUND

Overweight and obesity are a public health problem with a multifactorial aetiology. The objective of this study was to evaluate risk factors for overweight and obesity in children at 6 years of age, including type of delivery and breastfeeding.

METHODS

This study relates to a cohort of 672 mother-baby pairs who have been followed from birth up to 6 years of age. The sample included mothers and infants seen at all ten maternity units in a large Brazilian city. Genetic, socioeconomic, demographic variables and postnatal characteristics were analyzed. The outcome analyzed was overweight and/or obesity defined as a body mass index greater than or equal to +1 z-score. The sample was stratified by breastfeeding duration, and a descriptive analysis was performed using a hierarchical logistic regression. P-values of <0.05 were considered significant.

RESULTS

Prevalence rates (PR) of overweight and obesity among the children were 15.6% and 12.9%, respectively. Among the subset of breastfed children, factors associated with the outcome were maternal overweight and/or obesity (PR 1.92; 95% confidence interval "95% CI" 1.15-3.24) and lower income (PR 0.50; 95% CI 0.29-0.85). Among children who had not been breastfed or had been breastfed for shorter periods (less than 12 months), predictors were mothers with lower levels of education (PR 0.39; 95% CI 0.19-0.78), working mothers (PR 1.83; 95% CI 1.05-3.21), caesarean delivery (PR 1.98; 95% CI 1.14 - 3.50) and maternal obesity (PR 3.05; 95% CI 1.81 - 5.25).

CONCLUSIONS

Maternal obesity and caesarean delivery were strongly associated with childhood overweight and/or obesity. Lower family income and lower levels of education were identified as protective factors. Breastfeeding duration appeared to modify the association between overweight/obesity and the other predictors studied.

Influence of weight gain rate on early life nutritional status and body composition of children

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the influence of the weight gain rate at 4-6 months on nutritional status and body composition in children between 4 and 7 years of age.

METHODS

Retrospective cohort study, sample of 257 children. Data collection was performed in two stages, with the first relating to retrospective data of weight gain from birth to the first 4-6 months of life in the patient records. Measurements of weight, height, waist circumference, and body composition in children between ages 4 and 7 years were obtained. Nutritional status was assessed by the BMI/age. Control variables, such as pregnancy, breastfeeding, lifestyle, and sociodemographics, were studied. Descriptive analysis and multiple linear regression were performed.

RESULTS

In the nutritional status assessment, the prevalence of overweight observed was 24.9%. After adjusting for control variables, it was found that the increase of the WGR at 4-6 months of age explained the occurrence of higher BMI/age, percentage of total body fat, body fat percentage in the android region, and waist circumference in children between 4 and 7 years of age.

CONCLUSION

The increase of the WGR in the first months of life can lead to the occurrence of higher values of parameters of nutritional status and body composition in later life.

Weight gain in the first two years of life, asthma and atopy: the SCAALA cohort study

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the association between weight gain in the first two years of life and the occurrence of wheezing, asthma, serum IgE, skin reactivity and pulmonary function.

DESIGN

Cohort study.

SETTING

The metropolitan region of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.

SUBJECTS

The association was studied between 1997 and 2005 in 669 children up to 11 years of age. Data were collected on asthma and risk factors, both current factors and those present in the first years of life. Weight gain was considered fast when the Z-score was >0·67. Poisson regression was used in the multivariate statistical analysis.

RESULTS

Wheezing was reported in 25·6 % of the children. Weight gain was considered fast (Z-score >0·67) in 29·6 % of the children and slow (Z-score <-0·67) in 13·9 %. Children in the slow weight gain group had 36 % fewer symptoms of asthma (prevalence ratio = 0·65; 95 % CI 0·42, 0·99).

CONCLUSIONS

Slower weight gain in the early years of life may constitute a protective factor against symptoms of asthma. The relevance of this finding for public health is not yet certain, since it is known that children with slow and fast weight gain may be more likely to develop adverse health consequences related to both these situations.

Cholelithiasis in obese adolescents treated at an outpatient clinic

OBJECTIVE

to describe the frequency and the factors associated with cholelithiasis in obese adolescents.

METHODS

this was a cross-sectional descriptive study performed with the adolescents between 10 and 19 years of age treated at the Child and Adolescent Obesity Outpatient Clinic from May to December of 2011. Obesity was defined as body mass index (BMI)>P97, and overweight as BMI>P85, for age and gender, according to the 2007 World Health Organization reference. A questionnaire concerning the presence of signs and symptoms, such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and intolerance to fat, was administered. Patients were asked about how many kilograms they had lost and in how much time. Laboratory parameters were: triglycerides, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels. Cholelithiasis and hepatic steatosis were diagnosed by ultrasonography.

RESULTS

cholelithiasis was diagnosed in 6.1% (4/66) of the obese adolescents, most of whom were female (3/4); hepatic steatosis was identified in 21.2% (14/66). Intolerance to dietary fat was reported by all patients with cholelithiasis (4/4) and by 17.7% (11/62) of the group without cholelithiasis (p=0.001). The average weight loss was 6.0 ± 2.9 kg in the patients with cholelithiasis and 3.2 ± 4.8 kg in the group without cholelithiasis (p=0.04). However, there was no difference between the two groups regarding the time of weight loss (p=0.11).

CONCLUSIONS

cholelithiasis and hepatic steatosis are frequent among obese adolescents and should be investigated systematically in the presence or absence of symptoms.

Weight-related child behavioral interventions in Brazil: a systematic review

CONTEXT

Between 1974 and 1997, the prevalence of overweight increased 300% among Brazilian children and adolescents. A systematic review was conducted between January 2010 and December 2011 of obesity-related interventions targeting Brazilian children and adolescents.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

Manuscripts from 1965 to December 2010 were evaluated based on inclusion criteria including evaluating obesity-related outcomes and at least 50% of participants living in Brazil. Methods were adapted from the CDC's Community Guide. Evidence was based on the number of available studies, study design, execution, quality, and effect size.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

Sixteen articles were abstracted; five met final inclusion criteria. All intervention samples (range n=14-78; mean n=40.6) included overweight or obese children aged 8-17 years. The intervention duration range was 3-6 months, and dose frequency ranged from two to five times per week. Three of the five interventions included healthy eating and physical activity; two included only physical activity. Two interventions studies were rated as having greatest design suitability. Only one intervention had the greatest design suitability and a large effect size.

CONCLUSIONS

Intervention approaches that combined physical activity and healthy eating had the strongest effects. However, small sample bias, 95% CIs of primary effects, and poor-to-moderate quality of research designs and implementation suggest the combined evidence is best rated as Insufficient. This prohibits the recommendation of specific strategies or settings. Findings suggest that more well-designed evidence-based childhood obesity interventions in Brazil are needed and that promising, but yet unproven, interventions should be evaluated rigorously.