Relationship of obesity and early-life factors among 2-6 years old preschoolers in a community in Guangzhou / 中国学校卫生

ABSTRACT

Objective@#This study aims to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity and associated early life factors among children aged 2 to 6 years in a community in Guangzhou.@*Methods@#A stratified cluster sampling was used to select 922 children from one community in Guangzhou in 2018. The survey included a questionnaire survey and physical examination. Logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the relationship of early-life factors and obesity.@*Results@#The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 13.4% in 922 children(16.1% in boys and 10.1% in girls). The sex difference in prevalence of overweight and obesity was statistically significant(Z=2.69, P<0.05). Overweight and obesity was found significantly higher in children with large for gestational age, caesarean section, artificial feeding within 6 months, maternal pre-pregnancy overweight and obesity, maternal excessive weight gain(P<0.01). Large for gestational age (OR=2.62, 95%CI=1.42-4.82), caesarean section(OR=1.59, 95%CI=1.08-2.36), artificial feeding within 6 months(OR=2.00, 95%CI=1.19-3.37), maternal pre-pregnancy overweight or obesity(OR=1.97, 95%CI=1.08-3.58), and excessive gestational weight gain (OR=2.07, 95%CI=1.26-3.39) was positively associated with childhood overweight obesity(P<0.05). Maternal pre-pregnancy underweight was negatively associated with childhood overweight obesity(OR=0.51, 95%CI=0.29-0.88, P<0.05).@*Conclusion@#Early-life risk factors are positively associated with the risk of overweight and obesity in later childhood, including large gestational age, caesarean section, artificial feeding within 6 months, maternal pre-pregnancy overweight and excessive gestational weight gain, while maternal pre-pregnancy underweight associates with low risk of child overweight and obesity. These findings suggest that early intervention to these modifiable risk factors could make a significant contribution to childhood obesity prevention.