[Association between birth weight and childhood obesity in a Budapest metropolitan survey].
BACKGROUND
According to epidemiological investigations, association between birth weight and overweight and obesity in childhood/adolescence is ambiguous.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of the study was to investigate the association between birth weight and overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence.


METHODS
Birth and actual anthropometric data of school children and secondary school students from metropolitan schools were analyzed. Overweight/obesity were established by standardized (sex, age) body mass index, and obesity also by body fat percent.


RESULTS
Data of 1,334, 7- to 19-year-old children and adolescents (725 boys and 609 girls) were evaluated. Prevalence of overweight/obesity was similar in the case of persons with low (19.36%) and normal birth weight (18.96%), while in the case of persons with high birth weight this rate was 25.98%. Based on body fat percent, the prevalence of obesity in the latter group was also higher than in groups with low and normal birth weight (18.11% vs. 12.89% and 12.66%).


CONCLUSIONS
Among macrosomic babies the rate of overweight and obesity is higher than among normal or low-birth-weight babies, particularly in childhood.
Péter
Szabolcs
S
Országos Elelmiszerbiztonsági és Táplálkozástudományi Intézet, Budapest, Hungary. yurphan@freemail.hu
Bíró
Lajos
L
Németh
Adám
A
Antal
Magda
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D001823:Body Composition; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary / Q000453:epidemiology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires