Trends of weight gain and prevalence of overweight and obesity from birth to three years of age
Author
dc.contributor.author
Retamal, Rodrigo
Author
dc.contributor.author
Mascie-Taylor, C. G.Nicholas
Admission date
dc.date.accessioned
2019-05-31T15:35:25Z
Available date
dc.date.available
2019-05-31T15:35:25Z
Publication date
dc.date.issued
2019
Cita de ítem
dc.identifier.citation
Obesity Research & Clinical Practice 13 (2019) 6–11
Identifier
dc.identifier.issn
18780318
Identifier
dc.identifier.issn
1871403X
Identifier
dc.identifier.other
10.1016/j.orcp.2018.10.005
Identifier
dc.identifier.uri
https://repositorio.uchile.cl/handle/2250/169736
Abstract
dc.description.abstract
Objective: To examine the changes in children’s weight-for-height at six monthly intervals between birth
and three years old (3yo) from different counties across Chile and to determine if children had overweight
or obesity, and if so, whether it was a transient or persistent change.
Subjects and methods: Longitudinal data were obtained from routine medical check-ups and 8,373 children
were selected from nine counties in Chile through a non-randomised sample design. Weight-for-height
z-scores (WHZ) were generated and categorized as wasted, normal, overweight, and obese using WHO
standards. Repeated-measures ANOVA were used to analyse the changes in WHZ over the seven measurements
as well as based on having normal, overweight, or obese WHZ at 3yo. The number of times
having overweight or obesity was counted (from 0 to 7 times). The timing of having overweight and
obesity was computed as well as all combinations of the patterns.
Results: Mean WHZ significantly increased up to 18 months of age and declined thereafter (p « 0.001).
Overall mean WHZ was 0.743, prevalence of overweight 31.2% and prevalence of obesity 10.0%. Children
categorised with overweight or obesity at 3yo showed significantly higher and sustained pattern of weight
gain compared with children with normal WHZ. Once a child had overweight or obesity they tended to
remain with it and did not return to a weight-for-height in the normal range.
Conclusion: The increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity in Chilean children is of concern. There
is a need for greater healthcare promotion and prevention of this disease from infancy.