Childhood Obesity Risk Evaluation based on perinatal factors and family sociodemographic characteristics: CORE index.

UNLABELLED: The aim of this study was to develop an index that estimates late childhood obesity risk based on certain perinatal and family sociodemographic characteristics. The study was cross-sectional with retrospectively collected data from a representative sample of 2,294 primary schoolchildren, aged 9-13 years, in four counties from north, west, central, and south Greece. Mother's prepregnancy weight status, maternal smoking during pregnancy, maternal educational level, and infant weight gain in the first 6 months of life were combined with children's gender for the development of the Childhood Obesity Risk Evaluation (CORE) index. The score of the CORE index ranged from 0 to 11 units and each unit was associated with an obesity risk probability (range, 4-40 %). Cutoff point analysis revealed that a score ≤ 5 units best discriminated obese from non-obese children. On the basis of this cutoff point, the sensitivity of the CORE index was 54 % and the corresponding specificity 65 %. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed CORE index and the relevant percent risk probability chart could be used by pediatricians and other health professionals to identify children at high risk for obesity from early life. This simple and inexpensive tool could be useful in assisting early childhood obesity preventing initiatives.

Diet quality of preschoolers in Greece based on the Healthy Eating Index: the GENESIS study.

BACKGROUND: The current study aimed to assess the diet quality of Greek preschoolers and the potential role of several sociodemographic factors related to it. METHODS: A representative sample of 2,287 Greek children aged 2 to 5 years (from the Growth, Exercise, and Nutrition Epidemiological Study In preSchoolers) was used in this work. Dietary intake data was obtained using a combination of techniques comprising weighed food records, 24-hour recalls, and food diaries. A Healthy Eating Index (HEI) score was calculated summing the individual scores (0 to 10) assigned to each one of 10 index components. RESULTS: Eighty percent of participants had an HEI score <50 (ie, "poor" diet), 0.4% had an HEI score >80 (ie, "good" diet), and the overall mean HEI score was 59. HEI scores were significantly higher among boys, children aged 4 to 5 years, children participating in moderate to vigorous physical activities for more than 3 hours per week, children living in rural or small towns, and those whose mothers were employed and had higher educational status (>12 years). HEI score was also found to be strongly associated with several macronutrient and micronutrient intakes. CONCLUSIONS: Based on HEI scores, the vast majority of Greek preschoolers was found to have a poor diet. Moreover, low HEI scores were associated with low levels of physical activity, low vegetable intake, high saturated fat intake, lower maternal educational level, and unemployment status.

Television viewing and food habits in toddlers and preschoolers in Greece: the GENESIS study.

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the association between television (TV) viewing time and dietary habits of preschoolers. A representative sample of 2,374 Greek children aged 1-5 years was examined (GENESIS study). The majority of participants (74.0%) spent less than 2 h/day watching TV. Children spending > or =2 h/day watching TV seem to have higher energy intake compared to children watching TV less than 2 h/day, even after adjustment for potential confounders (p < 0.001). Furthermore, it was detected that the former were more likely to consume more than 5, 2, and 1.5 exchanges of fat, meat, and other carbohydrates per day, respectively, compared to the latter. In conclusion, the current findings indicate that prolonged TV viewing time may be associated with increased consumption of high-fat and high-sugar foods resulting in increased daily energy intake. Therefore, interventions aiming to modify children's TV viewing behaviour might need to be implemented.

The effect of maternal obesity on initiation and duration of breast-feeding in Greece: the GENESIS study.

OBJECTIVE: The current paper aims to describe the characteristics of mothers failing to initiate breast-feeding, provide information on the factors contributing to longer duration of breast-feeding and identify the association of maternal obesity with both initiation and duration of breast-feeding in the Greek population. DESIGN: Data from the cross-sectional GENESIS (Growth, Exercise and Nutrition Epidemiological Study In preSchoolers) study were used. Mothers were categorized by their pre-pregnancy BMI and their gestational weight gain according to guidelines from the Institute of Medicine. SETTING: Preschool children aged 1-5 years in five counties in Greece. SUBJECTS: Preschoolers (n 2374) with full maternal anthropometric data before and during pregnancy and breast-feeding data. RESULTS: A higher percentage of mothers with increased pre-pregnancy BMI or high gestational weight gain failed to initiate breast-feeding compared with their normal-weight counterparts. Obese mothers were 2.86 times more likely to fail in initiating breast-feeding in a multiple logistic regression model. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that among women initiating breast-feeding, those who were either underweight before pregnancy or smoked at the third trimester of pregnancy breast-fed their children for about 1.5 weeks less than their normal-weight or non-smoking counterparts, respectively. Similarly, multiparous women breast-fed their children for about 7 weeks less than uniparous women. In women who initiated breast-feeding, no significant differences in breast-feeding duration were found between women of different gestational weight gains. CONCLUSIONS: Mothers with high pre-pregnancy BMI are less likely to initiate breast-feeding while high gestational weight gain has no effect on either the initiation or duration of breast-feeding in Greece.