RESUMEN
To explore associations of perinatal and family factors with preadolescence overweight and obesity in a sample of Greek schoolchildren. A nationwide cross-sectional study among 2093 students [10.9 +/- 0.72 years, 44.9% boys] and their parents were conducted. Anthropometric [e.g., height, weight, mother's body mass index [BMI] at the time of the study and at conception], socio-demographic [e.g., age, education, socio-economic status], diet and other major lifestyle characteristics [e.g., smoking, alcohol intake, physical activity and inactivity] and perinatal factors [e.g., breast- and formula-feeding] were collected with validated questionnaires. Height and weight of students were measured. Overweight/obesity was classified using IOTF cut-offs. Multivariable logistic and linear regression analyses were used to identify major independent factors of overweight/obesity among preadolescents and factors related with the percentage change of mother's BMI, respectively. Increased age at pregnancy [odds ratios [OR] = 0.95, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.93-0.97], higher BMI at conception [OR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.12-1.22] and heavy smoking [OR = 2.02, 95% CI: 1.23-3.33] were positively associated with child's overweight/obesity status. Moreover, mother's age and TV viewing, indicating inactivity, were the strongest factors of the percentage increase in mother's BMI [b +/- se = 0.23 +/- 0.07, p = 0.002; b +/- se = 0.32 +/- 0.10, p = 0.002, respectively]. Preadolescent obesity is associated with mother's pre-pregnancy weight, age and heavy smoking at conception and mother's BMI change after gestation