Inmigración y riesgo de sobrepeso y obesidad en niños en edad escolar / Immigration and risk of overweight and obesity in school children

Introducción: El exceso de peso en la infancia se ha triplicado en las últimas décadas en nuestro medio. Los factores socioculturales, como el origen de los progenitores, pueden actuar como un factor de riesgo. Objetivo: Evaluar la influencia del origen materno sobre el riesgo de presentar exceso de peso a los 6 años de edad. Método: Estudio longitudinal en una cohorte representativa de la población de niños aragoneses desde el nacimiento hasta los 6 años de edad (n= 1.560). Se valoraron las características socioculturales y antropométricas familiares, el tipo de alimentación y el crecimiento posnatal según el origen materno. Se analizó la prevalencia de exceso de peso a los 6 años y la influencia del origen inmigrante materno en ella tras el ajuste por diferentes covariantes. Resultados: Los hijos de madres de origen inmigrante constituyeron el 23,4% de la muestra. Las características socioculturales y antropométricas familiares, el tipo de alimentación y el crecimiento posnatal fueron diferentes en el grupo de origen inmigrante (madres de menor edad, menor hábito tabáquico durante la gestación, mayor ganancia ponderal en el embarazo, menor nivel educacional de los progenitores, mayor prevalencia de hábitat en medio urbano y menor porcentaje de hijos con bajo peso al nacimiento). La prevalencia global de exceso de peso a los 6 años fue del 30,3% (un 15% de sobrepeso y un 15,3% de obesidad): del 39,4% (un 18,1% de sobrepeso y un 21,3% de obesidad) en el grupo de origen inmigrante y del 28,4% (un 14,4% de sobrepeso y un 14% de obesidad) en el grupo de origen español (p= 0,001; riesgo relativo= 1,63; intervalo de confianza del 95%: 1,21-2,22). El origen inmigrante materno se mantuvo como factor de riesgo independiente del exceso de peso tras ajustarse el análisis por el resto de covariantes. Conclusiones: La prevalencia de exceso de peso en los hijos de madres de origen inmigrante es superior a la de los hijos de origen nativo a los 6 años de edad. Este hecho puede suponer un factor de riesgo independiente para el desarrollo de obesidad ya desde la infancia (AU)

Introduction: In the recent decades, children overweight have been tripled in our living conditions. Sociocultural factors as parents’ background may become a risk agent. Purpose: To estimate the influence of mother’s background on overweight risk at the age of 6. Procedure: Longitudinal study of Aragonese children population-representative cohort from birth to 6 years old (n= 1,560). Sociocultural and family anthropometric features, type of feed and postnatal growth according to mother’s background were evaluated. High overweight incidence at the age of 6 and the mother’s immigrant background was analyzed after being adjusted by different covariants. Results: 23.4% of the cross section were children of immigrant background mothers. The sociocultural and family anthropometric features, the type of feed and the postnatal growth differed in the immigrant background group (underage mothers, lower smoking habits during pregnancy, greater weight gain during pregnancy, a lower educational level of parents, greater habitat incidence in urban areas and a lower percentage of low birthweight children). The overall incidence of 6 years old overweight was 30.3% (15% overweight and 15.3% obesity): from a 39.4% (18.1% overweight and 21.3% obesity) in the immigrant background group, and from 28.4% (14.4% overweight and 14% obesity) in the Spanish group (p= 0.001; relative risk= 1.63; confidence interval of 95%: 1.21-2.22). Immigrant mother’s background remained as an overweight separate risk factor after adjusting the analysis by the remaining covariants. Conclusions: The overweight incidence in immigrant mothers’ children is higher than those of Spanish mothers’ at the age of 6. This fact may become a separate risk factor for obesity development since childhood (AU)

Determinants of birth size in Northeast Spain.

OBJECTIVE: To update knowledge on determinants of newborn body size in Northeast of Spain considering gestational, parental and socio-cultural variables. METHODS: Cross-sectional assessment of 1442 infants from Aragón (Spain), born at term between March 2009 and March 2010. Obstetric, neonatal, socio-demographic and parental anthropometry data were collected during the first infant scheduled health examination. Hierarchical linear regression models were used to explore associations between newborn anthropometry and included variables. RESULTS: Birth weight was significantly higher in males than in females (130.7 g), when mother did not smoke during pregnancy (126.3 g), in immigrant mothers (113.1 g) and when parity increased (67.1 g per additional birth). Body weight at birth was 16.9 g higher per kg of maternal weight gain during pregnancy, 5.4 g higher per kg of maternal pre-pregnancy weight and 5.1 g higher per cm of maternal height. Birth length was also significantly higher in males than in females (0.87 cm), when mother did not smoke (0.48 cm), in immigrant mothers (0.64 cm), and it was positively associated with parity, maternal anthropometry and paternal height. Newborn anthropometry was not associated with maternal age, educational level or living location. CONCLUSIONS: Independently of gestational age and newborn sex, the main predictors of birth weight and length were maternal pre-pregnancy anthropometry and weight gain during gestation, to smoke during pregnancy, parity and maternal origin. Our results identify potential modifiable factors influencing newborn body size.